A federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from transferring money into a secretive $1.8bn fund while a legal challenge proceeds. US district judge Leonie Brinkema issued the order on Friday, barring the government from “taking other further action” in the creation or operation of the fund.
The order is intended “to ensure no funds are irreversibly disbursed from the Anti-Weaponisation Fund”, Brinkema wrote. The fund, which critics have labelled a slush fund, would allow victims of government weaponisation to submit claims, controlled by four commissioners appointed by the US attorney general and a fifth appointed in consultation with congressional leadership.
There are no restrictions on who can apply for money, and even Republicans have expressed outrage that January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers could receive payouts. The fund is also not required to disclose how much it paid to whom or its reasons for doing so.
