‘Could Not Make This Up’: Trump Wants the Public to Pay $1.7 Billion to Execute His Revenge Plot. Critics Say It’s One of the ‘Most Corrupt Acts’ in Modern American History
President Donald Trump’s administration is now facing explosive accusations of corruption after quietly unveiling a massive $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded compensation program for Trump allies who claim they were “politically targeted” during the Biden administration, just hours after Trump abruptly dropped his controversial $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
Critics are already calling the entire thing a “slush fund,” and Democrats are openly accusing Trump of trying to funnel public money to loyalists, Jan. 6 rioters, and political allies behind closed doors.
According to the Justice Department, the newly announced “Anti-Weaponization Fund” will distribute roughly $1.776 billion to individuals who believe they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted for political reasons.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed the program would create “a lawful process” for alleged victims of government “weaponization” to seek compensation and apologies.
But critics immediately erupted after realizing the announcement landed almost simultaneously with Trump’s sudden decision to abandon his own lawsuit against the IRS, a lawsuit that had triggered weeks of outrage over reports that Trump’s team was privately discussing a massive taxpayer-funded payout connected to the case.
Trump dismissed the lawsuit “with prejudice” Monday morning, meaning he can never bring it again. The filing offered almost no explanation for the abrupt reversal.
Democrats Say Trump Created a ‘Private Militia Slush Fund’
The backlash escalated almost instantly.
Nearly 100 House Democrats filed a legal brief condemning the arrangement as unconstitutional and corrupt, accusing Trump of attempting to weaponize taxpayer money for personal political revenge.
Rep. Jamie Raskin delivered one of the most brutal attacks yet, accusing Trump of trying to build a government-funded reward system for loyalists.
“This case is nothing but a racket designed to take $1.7 billion of taxpayer dollars out of the Treasury and pour it into a huge slush fund for Trump at DOJ to hand out to his private militia of insurrectionists, rioters, and white supremacists,” Raskin said.
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Government watchdogs piled on immediately.
Donald Sherman, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called the arrangement “one of the single most corrupt acts in American history.”
Critics also noted the glaring contradiction in Blanche’s public statement condemning “weaponized government” while Trump’s own Justice Department has aggressively pursued political enemies, launched investigations into critics, and openly embraced Trump’s retribution agenda since he returned to office.
The administration has refused to publicly identify who may receive money from the fund, but officials confirmed a five-member commission appointed by Blanche will oversee the payouts. The DOJ insists the fund has no partisan requirements and says anyone who believes the government unfairly persecuted them can apply.
Trump’s IRS Lawsuit Triggered Massive Ethical Questions
Trump originally filed the lawsuit in January alongside Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization after former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn leaked portions of Trump’s tax returns to media outlets.
Littlejohn later pleaded guilty and received a five-year prison sentence for leaking confidential tax records involving Trump and thousands of wealthy Americans.
The leaked records fueled explosive reporting, including a New York Times investigation showing Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes during his first year in the White House and sometimes paid no federal income tax at all because of reported business losses.
But the lawsuit itself created an unprecedented legal spectacle because Trump sued the IRS while simultaneously serving as president — effectively suing an agency under his own executive branch authority.
Federal Judge Kathleen Williams reportedly questioned whether the lawsuit even belonged in her courtroom and appointed outside lawyers to examine whether Trump’s Justice Department could truly act independently while the sitting president pursued billions in damages from the federal government.
Ethics groups also filed legal briefs challenging the case, arguing Trump was attempting to create a deeply dangerous precedent involving presidential control over federal litigation tied to personal financial interests.