Lawyers for the police officers filed the federal lawsuit a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Branch defended the creation of the fund at a congressional hearing.
WASHINGTON — Two police officers helped protect the U.S. Capitol from a mob of Trump supporters. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday Stop anyone (including the January 6, 2021 rioters) from new $1.776 billion settlement fund For those who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
Lawyers for the police officers filed the federal lawsuit a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Branch defended the creation of the fund at a congressional hearing. Branch, who was President Donald Trump’s personal attorney before joining the Justice Department, did not rule out the following possibilities: thugs attacking police Funds will be eligible for disbursement on January 6th.
The lawsuit claims the government’s “anti-weaponization fund” is an illegal slush fund that Trump will use to “fund insurgents and paramilitary groups who commit violence in his name.” It described the creation of the fund as “the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.”
More than 100 police officers were injured in the Capitol riots. More than 1,600 people have been charged with crimes related to Jan. 6, but Trump used his pardon power last year to eliminate all those cases in a sweeping clemency.
The plaintiffs suing Trump over the fund are Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who is running for a congressional seat in Maryland. On January 6, both Hodges and Dunn testified before Congress about their harrowing experiences. Video shows Hodges being pinned against the door and a rioter ripping off his mask during a fight for control of the tunnel entrance.
Members of Congress peppered Branch with questions about the fund on Tuesday. He described it as “unusual” but not unprecedented. Branch did not acknowledge that Trump’s Justice Department has investigated and prosecuted some of the Republican president’s political opponents, including Former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
Fund stems from Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit settlement Against the IRS It was intended to compensate those who believed they were mistreated by the previous administration’s Justice Department after his tax returns were leaked. Decisions on spending will be made by a five-member committee appointed by the attorney general.
Branch and Finance Minister Scott Bessant are also named as defendants in the officials’ lawsuit. Spokespeople for the Justice and Treasury departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
A lawyer for one of the officials is Brendan BallouA former Justice Department prosecutor who handled the January 6 case.
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