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See all articlesByron Donalds defends ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ as unselfish act by Trump
Donalds is exiting Congress this year to run for governor in place of term-limited fellow Republican Ron DeSantis.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the $1.776 billion fund last week. The fund will allow people who believe they were targeted for prosecution for political purposes, including by the Biden administration DOJ, to apply for payouts. The fund is part of an agreement between the DOJ, the IRS and Trump to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his and the Trump Organization’s tax returns and other claims. That suit, filed in January 2026, names two of the president’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization as plaintiffs.
But the fund has received widespread backlash, including from Republican legislators.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters shortly after the fund was announced that he is “not a big fan” of it. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Sunday called the fund a “payout pot for punks” while South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham — one of Trump’s staunchest congressional allies — called for more information on it. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) are drafting legislation to stop the fund altogether, and police officers who were attacked by rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have also filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the fund.
Trump on Friday defended the fund, writing on Truth Social that he is “helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration.”
But part of what is driving the divide among lawmakers is whether violent Jan. 6 former convicts should have access to the taxpayer money — a question House Speaker Mike Johnson effectively dodged last week and Vice President JD Vance appeared unable to confirm or deny.
“We’re not trying to give money to anybody who attacked a police officer,” Vance said, though he added: “We do have people who were accused of attacking law enforcement officers” and “we’re going to evaluate these things on a case-by-case basis.”
Johnson is unlikely to bring Fitzpatrick and Suozzi’s legislation to the House floor, though Donalds on Sunday appeared to show support for the idea.
“I think Congress should have a say in the outcomes with this fund,” he said.