anti-weaponization fund – Enrique Tarrio says the effort to preserve President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund is far from over after the Department of Justice said it will abide by a judge’s order temporarily halting the program. The fund, described by the DOJ as a way to com
For Enrique Tarrio, the message to his followers was blunt: don’t treat the pause as the end.
The former Proud Boys leader, who was sentenced to 22 years for “seditious conspiracy” tied to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and was pardoned by Trump last year. took to X to argue that the legal fight over President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund will continue even after the Department of Justice said it would follow a court order temporarily stopping the program.
Tarrio told supporters not to “bet against this President,” saying he did not believe the administration would “surrender this fund so easily.” “Let’s be crystal clear: the DOJ never said it was giving up the fund,” he wrote. “They simply stated they will abide by the judge’s order for now.”
The fund at the center of the dispute is roughly $1.8 billion. The DOJ has said it was intended to compensate people who said they were unfairly targeted by the federal government, and it drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.
The DOJ’s position is now clear in writing. In a response provided to Newsweek on Monday. the department said it “disagrees strongly” with the decision issued by U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia. The court. according to the DOJ. said the department could not proceed with the newly established fund “under no circumstances.” The DOJ said. however. that it would abide by the court’s ruling.
The department’s statement said the fund was open “to anybody” who claimed they were “weaponized. targeted. or persecuted. ” whether they were Democrat. Republican. Conservative. Independent. or otherwise. It was framed as a way to respond to what the DOJ called “tremendous abuse. harm. and hate unfairly shown to so many people.”.
Trump, meanwhile, is reconsidering whether to move ahead with the $1.8 billion plan. A person familiar with the president’s thinking told the Associated Press on Monday that the administration is now weighing next steps.
Tarrio’s comments land in a broader swirl of legal and political pressure. In a separate statement earlier, he told the Miami New Times that he would “definitely” be applying for compensation. He also told Reuters he believes his claim could be worth between $2 million and $5 million.
He has not offered details on what he views as alternatives if the fund is ultimately killed in court or blocked in Congress. Still. he told PBS on Monday that even if the fund is “killed” either through lawsuits or a congressional decision. the president would find another path. “There are other options,” he said.
At the center of the standoff is a federal judge’s finding that the program cannot proceed for now. A judge ruled the fund is on pause for a two-week period, according to court documents. The judge scheduled a June 12 hearing to decide whether to extend the order that prevents the DOJ from moving forward as legal challenges continue.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema—appointed by former Democratic President Bill Clinton—issued the temporary restraining order in Alexandria, Virginia. The order said the hold is necessary to ensure no public money is “irreversibly disbursed.”
The DOJ first announced the fund in May. describing it as a “systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare. ” amid allegations from conservatives that the Biden administration used the law to target Republicans. including through prosecutions involving Trump and people tied to the Jan. 2021 Capitol riot.
The DOJ said the fund would be administered through a five-member commission, with four members appointed by the attorney general. It would have authority to issue formal apologies and award monetary relief to claimants. and it said there were no partisan requirements. The DOJ also said the fund would receive $1.776 billion in exchange for Trump dropping his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service related to the leak of his tax returns.
Supporters have argued the fund offers a remedy for people they say were destroyed by selective enforcement. On X. Tarrio added that “the alternative solution puts far more money directly into the pockets of the American patriots who were illegally targeted and weaponized against.” He wrote that option is “completely beyond judicial review and congressional oversight.”.
Other prominent figures have also signaled they plan to seek compensation. Mike Lindell. the CEO of MyPillow and an outspoken advocate of Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen. said he plans to pursue compensation through the fund. Lindell has argued his company lost $400 million because of perceived government weaponization.
Michael Cohen. a former Trump attorney who served three years in prison due to his work for the president. said he was also planning to apply. In an interview given to CBS News in May. Cohen said he was “working through the process” and would submit the letter directly to the DOJ once completed. He added that if the fund is meant to support individuals destroyed by “politically motivated law enforcement tactics. ” selective prosecution. government leaks. abuses of power. and the intentional destruction of reputation. then “there is perhaps no clearer example than what happened to me.”.
Opponents say the proposal is an overreach. Democrats argued the fund amounts to an abuse of executive power. Several Republicans have questioned whether it is needed.
Former Vice President Mike Pence called the plan “deeply offensive” on Sunday, saying it should be scrapped. He encouraged the administration to “drop it,” adding that “the weaponization fund is a bad idea from the start.”
Senator Mitch McConnell called compensating Jan. 6 rioters “utterly stupid” and “morally wrong.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he was “not a big fan” of the idea and didn’t see a clear purpose, while indicating lawmakers would want a full review.
The question now is whether the administration will treat the pause as tactical or terminal. The DOJ is complying with the judge’s order for now. while the program remains tied to a scheduled June 12 hearing. And even with the legal door temporarily closed. Tarrio’s message to supporters suggests he believes the fight is just entering a different phase.
Enrique Tarrio Proud Boys anti-weaponization fund Department of Justice court order Leonie Brinkema June 12 hearing January 6 Mitch McConnell Mike Pence John Thune Mike Lindell Michael Cohen