weaponization compensation – Even as the criteria for Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “weaponization” compensation fund remain unclear, former Jan. 6 defendants and Trump allies are already talking about how they could use any payouts—from campaign spending to forming new organizations—while
For Todd Blanche, the question in front of the Senate on Tuesday wasn’t whether people would apply for Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “weaponization” compensation fund. It was who would qualify—and how.
“Anybody can apply. ” the Acting Attorney General told lawmakers during the hearing. adding that he suggested former first-child Hunter Biden could be eligible to file for compensation stemming from federal investigations into his taxes and possession of a firearm. The bigger uncertainty for applicants. though. is the one thing Blanche didn’t settle: which individuals will actually be approved by the obscure five-person review panel that is supposed to dole out the money.
What is clear, according to the way Trump’s team has been communicating, is that pardoned Jan. 6 defendants and beleaguered allies to the president are being treated as people who can begin preparing their applications—even if they were convicted of violent offenses.
That message is reaching the public at a moment of raw political tension. During a Tuesday press conference, Vice President J.D. Vance complained that Jan. 6 defendants and Trump supporters “never [get] an ounce of sympathy when it comes to disproportionate sentencing. ” and said he wasn’t going to rule out payouts going to anyone. even those who assaulted cops on Jan. 6.
Enrique Tarrio. the former chairman of the Proud Boys who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 22 years in prison. said the fund may be poised to replace a legal fight he sees as already underway. Tarrio told Rolling Stone that for many of the Jan. 6 participants pardoned by Trump. the fund could supplant a $100 million lawsuit—his estimate—brought by a coalition of defendants in March. which he said could total closer to $250 million when accounting for compensatory and punitive damages.
“We were looking for compensation for the things that we went through,” Tarrio said. “I think this is a good thing. I think this is an amazing thing, and I think this starts bringing some justice.”
Tarrio’s view becomes even more jarring to those who want a clean line drawn between accountability and restitution. While he said the individuals who assaulted hundreds of members of law enforcement during the riot were rightful indicted. he still argued they should be eligible to receive payments from the fund “because of the circumstances” surrounding their prosecutions and convictions.
Asked about what critics may fear, Tarrio suggested the concern is being misdirected. “I think the left does have reason to fret, but not for the reason that they think,” he said. “A lot of these people are going to want to start organizations with this money. Some of them want to run for local office with this money — and some of them will use it for their current campaign. depending on how fast this thing happens.”.
The possibility of that political retooling is already visible on the campaign trail, at least in Florida. At least two convicted Jan. 6 defendants are running in this year’s midterm elections, both after receiving Trump pardons. John Strand. a former male model. is running as a Republican candidate in Florida’s 19th congressional district after being convicted on charges related to his trespassing into the Capitol on Jan. 6. Adam Johnson—also known as the “lectern guy” photographed carrying former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s podium while storming the Capitol—is running for a seat on the Manatee County Commission in Florida after serving 75 days in jail for trespassing in the Capitol.
And they are not the only people describing the fund as a potential financial bridge. Mike Lindell told multiple networks he intended to apply. citing a supposed $400 million in losses to his company. My Pillow. tied to private lawsuits and federal probes into his conduct surrounding the 2020 election. One America News told CNN it was “seriously considering pursuing rights under this fund” to recoup funds lost in defamation lawsuits over the outlet’s spread of conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election. Michael Cohen. Trump’s former attorney. told NBC news he is considering appealing to the DOJ for compensation related to his tax evasion and congressional perjury convictions.
But for anyone picturing checks arriving soon, legal and political resistance is already moving.
On Wednesday, D.C. law enforcement officers who were attacked on Jan. 6 sued the Trump administration in an attempt to block the fund from moving forward. Officer Daniel Hodges, a D.C. Police officer. asked a pointed question that has become a refrain among those who argue the program is fundamentally misaligned with public accountability.
“Why would you pay people who attacked the police at the Capitol of the United States who tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power?” Hodges told NPR. “Why would you pay people who wanted to assassinate the vice president? You know, the list goes on and on. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Inside Congress, skepticism has turned from private discomfort to blunt concern. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on Wednesday that he was “not a big fan” of the slush fund. which he said was authorized by the administration outside of Congress’ appropriations authority. He added Thursday that concerns included both the timing and the substance.
Republicans have been even more direct in private discussion. According to Punchbowl News, Republican lawmakers expressed deep frustration with Blanche and the administration during a two-hour, closed-door meeting on Thursday.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) captured the harshest version of the backlash. questioning what the policy is actually doing to the public purse. “It will invariably put us in a position where your taxpayer dollars and my taxpayer dollars could potentially compensate someone who assaulted a police officer. admitted their guilt. got convicted. got pardoned. and now we’re going to pay them for that?” Tillis said during an interview with Spectrum News. “I think it’s stupid on stilts.”.
The fund’s promise. at least to its most vocal supporters. is swift and open-ended: Blanche told lawmakers “Anybody can apply. ” and Tarrio said he sees the money as justice and as leverage for political ambitions. But the program’s future is now boxed in by the same tension that has defined Jan. 6 for years—whether the country is settling accounts with accountability in mind, or turning legal conflict into a financial runway.
For now, everyone is watching the five-person review panel that will decide who gets approved. The applicants are already lining up with plans. The lawsuits are already asking courts to stop the money before it starts—and Republicans who are supposed to safeguard their own chamber from off-budget actions are showing they may not treat the process as a simple transfer of discretion.
United States politics Trump compensation fund weaponization slush fund Jan. 6 pardons D.C. police lawsuit Todd Blanche J.D. Vance Enrique Tarrio John Thune Thom Tillis Hunter Biden compensation application midterm elections Florida 19th district Manatee County Commission Adam Johnson My Pillow Mike Lindell One America News defamation Michael Cohen DOJ compensation