Virginia Judge Stands Up to Trump’s $1.8 Billion Slush Fund, Defends Rule of Law
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema courageously extended the block on the Trump administration's proposed anti-weaponization fund, highlighting the Justice Department's refusal to provide transparent, sworn confirmation that the program is truly over.
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A federal judge in Virginia has once again stood as a bulwark against the Trump administration’s reckless attempt to funnel $1.8 billion into a so-called “anti-weaponization fund.” Judge Leonie Brinkema called out the Justice Department for failing to provide a sworn declaration that the fund is actually dead, exposing the administration’s ongoing lack of transparency and accountability. Brinkema pointedly noted that statements from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and President Donald Trump about the fund’s status were not made under oath, raising serious concerns about the administration’s honesty.
Brinkema grilled Justice Department attorney Andrew Block on why the department still hasn’t formally rescinded the memo that created this dangerous slush fund, warning that the absence of a clear record leaves a “huge gap” that could be exploited. She gave the government a week to submit a sworn statement from Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirming the fund’s termination, demanding real accountability.
This lawsuit exposes the administration’s plan to create a fund to compensate individuals who claim they were “weaponized” or subjected to “lawfare” by the federal government—including some who were charged and later pardoned for their role in the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Brinkema rightly expressed concern that, if not truly dead, this fund could be resurrected in another form, perpetuating Trump’s efforts to undermine justice.
Plaintiffs and democracy advocates welcomed the decision. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, emphasized that the order prevents taxpayer dollars from being wasted while constitutional issues are addressed. Omar Noureldin of Common Cause hailed the ruling as a “massive win” for protecting public funds, and former federal prosecutor Andrew Floyd praised the injunction for blocking the misuse of $1.776 billion in taxpayer money for Trump’s dangerous political agenda.
