Police Officers Sue to Block Payouts from $1.776 Billion Fund
Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Wednesday. They aim to block potential payouts to the January 6, 2021, rioters from a new $1.776 billion fund. This fund is intended for individuals claiming victimization by politically motivated prosecutions.
The lawsuit was filed a day after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund during a congressional hearing. Blanche, previously Trump’s personal attorney, did not exclude the possibility of fund payouts to rioters who assaulted police on January 6.
The lawsuit describes the fund as an “illegal slush fund” and calls it the “most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.”
The complaint asserts that no statute authorizes the fund’s creation. It claims the settlement it is based on, related to Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS for leaking tax returns, is a “corrupt sham” that violates the Constitution and federal law. The fund is meant to compensate those mistreated by prior Justice Department actions, with decisions made by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general.
Over 100 police officers were injured during the Capitol riot. Nearly 1,600 people faced charges related to January 6, but Trump pardoned them last year. The plaintiffs, Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, testified before Congress about the event. Video evidence showed a rioter attacking Hodges during the riot.
The lawsuit argues that the fund promotes violence in the president’s name. It alleges that “Dunn and Hodges already face credible threats of death and violence regularly; the Fund substantially increases the danger.” The commission, appointed by Blanche, will decide payouts. However, the members have not yet been announced.
Blanche stated in a CNN interview that the commission will evaluate the actions of claimants before deciding payouts, adding, “Whether the commissioners will give that person money… it’s up to them.” He acknowledged that harming law enforcement is “abhorrent,” but noted, “people that hurt police get money all the time” through government lawsuits. Blanche dismissed fund backlash as “fake outrage.”
Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are defendants in the lawsuit. Justice and Treasury department spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department prosecutor who worked on January 6 cases, is among the officers’ attorneys.