Trump’s $1.8B “anti-weaponization fund”

Hey, everybody.I try to bring you the legal news calmly and factually, but today the news is so outrageous that calm is just not possible.Today we witnessed what I would call the greatest abuse of our legal system in history.It rises to the level of a criminal conspiracy between the president and the Justice Department.Let me explain.I'm Liz Oyer, the former pardon attorney for the Department of Justice.

I told you last week about the sham lawsuit that Donald Trump filed against the IRS, seeking $10 billion in damages.The judge handling the case suspected the lawsuit was a farce, so she appointed a team of independent legal experts to evaluate the merits of the case.They all agreed that it's nonsense and it should be thrown out.

But before the court could toss the case, Trump's lawyers moved to dismiss it voluntarily.Why?Because Trump reached a settlement agreement with the Justice Department, which he controls.Todd Blanche announced the settlement this morning.Here's what it does.It uses taxpayer money to create a nearly $1 .8 billion slush fund for Trump's allies and supporters.

They are calling it an anti -weaponization fund.According to Blanche, the purpose is to compensate victims of lawfare and weaponization.The fund will have the power to issue both formal apologies and monetary relief.The fund will have five members who are appointed by the attorney general and can be removed by the president.These five people have total discretion to give this money, our money, to anyone they choose with no oversight, no transparency, and no public input.I don't say this lightly.

This is straight up criminal.By approving this settlement, the Acting Attorney General has agreed, at the President's request, to dip into the U .S.Treasury, where our tax dollars are held, and give away our money to people who have no legal right to it.This is a theft of our property.It is a fraud on the American people.

It is a criminal conspiracy at the highest levels of our government.As the acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche is entrusted with defending the United States against frivolous lawsuits.He has a fiduciary duty to protect taxpayer money from false and fraudulent claims.He has abdicated that duty.He has betrayed the American people.He has betrayed his oath to uphold the Constitution.

This is the type of thing we should be protesting in the streets.I know it's exhausting, but our democracy is depending on us to keep it afloat.Please call your elected reps and demand that they block this settlement.Please make sure your friends and your neighbors know that this is a criminal abuse of the legal system.Please do whatever you can to spread the word and sound the alarm.