DOJ refuses sworn filing on blocked $1.8 billion Trump fund
Why it matters: The standoff keeps a lawsuit alive over a plan critics said could steer taxpayer money to Trump allies and Jan. 6 defendants.
The Justice Department told a federal judge Friday it would not submit sworn declarations from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stating that President Donald Trump’s proposed “anti-weaponization fund” is dead. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema had said such filings could clear the way to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the $1.8 billion fund, which she has already blocked indefinitely. DOJ lawyer Andrew Block argued that compelling declarations from senior executive officials was unnecessary and raised separation-of-powers concerns. The fund was proposed as part of a settlement tied to Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over leaked IRS tax records and drew bipartisan criticism over fears it could benefit Trump allies, including Jan. 6 riot defendants.