Anti-Weaponisation Fund paused as Trump administration complies with Virginia court order

The Trump administration said it will comply with a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the USD 1.776 billion Anti-Weaponisation Fund while further arguments are heard in Virginia. The Justice Department said it disagrees with the ruling but will pause the plan for at least two weeks. The fund has faced Republican criticism over potential payouts linked to January 6.

The Trump administration said on Monday it will follow a court order that paused a plan for a nearly USD 1.8 billion compensation fund. The decision temporarily blocks the proposed Anti-Weaponisation Fund for at least two weeks. The plan faced legal setbacks and strong criticism from Republicans, including concerns about possible payments to January 6, 2021, Capitol riot participants.

The Justice Department’s position followed a Friday ruling by a federal judge in Virginia. The judge ordered the government to stop setting up the fund until further arguments are heard. The department said it strongly disagrees with the ruling. However, it said it will comply while the case continues.

Anti-Weaponisation Fund court ruling and Justice Department response

The Virginia judge also set a June 12 hearing. The hearing will consider whether the pause should continue while litigation challenges the fund. The Justice Department defended the plan as broad in scope. "This Fund was open to anybody who was so weaponised, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise,\" the Justice Department said in a statement.

In the same statement, the department confirmed it would follow the judge’s direction despite opposing it. \"The Department will abide by the Courts ruling.\" The administration’s announcement effectively means work on the fund will remain on hold until at least the next court date. The issue has become a major political dispute as well as a legal fight.

Anti-Weaponisation Fund backlash among Republicans and Congress

Some Trump supporters welcomed the fund, including people linked to the Capitol riot. Yet many Republicans in Congress reacted sharply against the plan. Senators questioned acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a closed meeting last month. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas described it as one of the most difficult sessions of Cruz’s Senate career.

Officials had argued the USD 1.776 billion Anti-Weaponisation Fund was a remedy for unfair government action. The fund was created as part of resolving President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. That case focused on a leak of Trump’s tax returns. The administration said it addressed what officials described as weaponised law enforcement under the Biden administration.

Anti-Weaponisation Fund legal challenges in Virginia and Florida

The fund’s future was questioned further by a separate order in Florida. A federal judge there is overseeing Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. US District Judge Kathleen Williams directed Trump’s lawyers to answer serious claims from settlement critics. Those critics alleged the president dropped claims to avoid court review of an illegal deal.

Judge Williams gave Trump’s attorneys until June 12 to file a written response. The order asked them to address allegations of collusion. It also raised whether the case should be reopened. The judge referenced claims that the court was the victim of a fraud, adding pressure as the Virginia case moves towards its own hearing.

With inputs from PTI