{"id":8135,"date":"2026-05-20T16:03:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8135"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:03:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:03:04","slug":"officers-who-defended-capitol-from-rioters-sue-to-block-payouts-from-1-8b-anti-weaponization-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8135","title":{"rendered":"Officers who defended Capitol from rioters sue to block payouts from $1.8B \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN<\/strong><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of Trump supporters\u00a0\u00a0to block anyone \u2014 including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters \u2014 from receiving payouts from a new\u00a0$1.776 billion settlement fund\u00a0for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions.<\/p>\n

Read more The GOP\u2019s YOLO caucus is small but growing. That may spell trouble for Trump\u2019s congressional agenda<\/a><\/p>\n

The officers\u2019 attorneys filed the federal lawsuit a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund\u2019s creation during a congressional hearing. Blanche, a personal attorney for President Donald Trump before joining the Justice Department, wouldn\u2019t rule out the possibility that\u00a0rioters who assaulted police\u00a0on Jan. 6 would be eligible for fund payouts.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit claims the government\u2019s \u201cAnti-Weaponization Fund\u201d is an illegal slush fund that Trump will use to \u201cfinance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.\u201d It describes the fund\u2019s creation as \u201cthe most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 100 police officers were injured during the Capitol riot. Over 1,600 people were charged with Jan. 6-related crimes, but Trump used his pardon powers to erase all of those cases in a sweeping act of clemency last year.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs suing Trump over the fund are Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who is running in Maryland for a seat in Congress. Hodges and Dunn both testified before Congress about their harrowing experiences on Jan. 6. Videos captured a rioter ripping a mask off Hodges as he was pinned against a door during a fight for control of a tunnel entrance.<\/p>\n

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On Tuesday, members of Congress peppered Blanche with questions about the fund. He described it as \u201cunusual\u201d but not unprecedented. Blanche failed to acknowledge that Trump\u2019s Justice Department has investigated and prosecuted some of the Republican president\u2019s political enemies, including\u00a0former FBI Director James Comey\u00a0and\u00a0New York Attorney General Letitia James.<\/p>\n

The fund stems from a settlement of Trump\u2019s $10 billion lawsuit\u00a0against the Internal Revenue Service\u00a0over the leak of his tax returns. It\u2019s designed to compensate those who believe they were mistreated by prior administrations\u2019 Justice Department. Decisions on payouts will be made by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also are named as defendants in the officers\u2019 lawsuit. Spokespeople for the Justice and Treasury departments didn\u2019t immediately respond to requests for comment on the suit.<\/p>\n

One of the attorneys for the officers is\u00a0Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department prosecutor who handled Jan. 6 cases.<\/p>\n

Read more Seagull splatters King Charles III during Northern Ireland visit<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of Trump supporters are suing to block anyone \u2014 including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters \u2014 from receiving payouts from a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOfficers who defended Capitol from rioters sue to block payouts from $1.8B \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8135\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Officers who defended Capitol from rioters sue to block payouts from $1.8B \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund - 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