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The Justice Department said Monday it will abandon its $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" after a federal judge temporarily blocked the program and Senate Republicans threatened to join Democrats in opposing it.
The fund emerged from a legal settlement resolving President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the IRS, which he had filed over the unauthorized disclosure of his tax records; the DOJ formally unveiled it in May. The fund was intended to compensate people who alleged the federal government had been weaponized against them.
"The Department of Justice disagrees strongly with the decision on the Anti-Weaponization Fund put forth by the United States District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia," the DOJ said in a statement. "The Department will abide by the Court's ruling."
On Friday, Brinkema's ruling put an immediate halt to all DOJ activity surrounding the fund — barring the transfer of money into it, the review of claims, and any disbursements — pending the outcome of the broader legal fight. June 12 is the date set for Brinkema to take up the question of whether to keep the restrictions in place longer-term. The fund faces legal challenges from multiple fronts, with filings in at least three different jurisdictions, according to NBC News.
