President Donald Trump declined Sunday to definitively rule out compensating people charged with assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, defending a proposed "anti-weaponization" fund that has drawn bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill.
Trump Defends Fund For Jan. 6 Defendants
Trump made the comments in an interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press," where he argued that people who entered the Capitol as Congress prepared to certify Joe Biden's 2020 election victory were treated unfairly by prosecutors and should receive compensation.
"Well, look – if it was up to me, I'd pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed," Trump told host Kristen Welker.
Earlier in the interview, Trump said, "So, me, personally, I think the weaponization fund is a great idea, and so do many other Republicans." Referring to Justice Department approval, he added, "You have to get it approved. If they get it approved, that's great." If not, he said, "I'd be disappointed."
