Washington’s most controversial presidential fund just triggered its most explosive legal challenge. Two Capitol officers who nearly died on January 6 have now fired back with a federal lawsuit against Donald Trump’s administration.
Officers sue Donald Trump over $1.8B fund
Two Washington, D.C., police officers filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. Officers Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges seek to dissolve the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. They call it “the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.”
The fund emerged from a settlement between Trump and the Justice Department this week. Trump had initially sued the IRS over leaked tax returns, seeking $10 billion in damages. The case never reached trial and closed after Monday’s settlement announcement. The settlement directed the Justice Department to draw $1.776 billion from the Judgment Fund. Five people appointed by the attorney general will manage that money. The president retains the power to remove any of those appointees.
Dunn and Hodges both sustained injuries during the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Hodges recalled being “nearly crushed by rioters” against a Capitol door during the breach. Another officer heard protesters threaten to “kill him with his own gun.” The officers argue the fund will likely compensate January 6 participants. Trump has previously said those rioters were “treated unfairly” by the justice system. He also issued blanket pardons to nearly all attack participants on his first day back.
“The Fund’s mere existence sends a clear and chilling message,” the lawsuit states. Those who “enact violence in President Trump’s name will not just avoid punishment.” They “will be rewarded with riches,” the filing adds. Both officers continue facing violent threats and harassment tied to their Capitol defense. The Trump administration has so far refused to rule out paying the January 6 participants. The lawsuit also challenges the underlying IRS case, calling it “frivolous” due to Trump controlling all defendants.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
