Donald Trump’s administration insists that a compensation fund for pardoned January 6 rioters is dead for good, but the Department of Justice has refused to say whether government lawyers are working on backdoor plans for taxpayer-funded payouts. The Justice Department has denied several Freedom of Information Act requests filed by a nonprofit watchdog group, according to a newly filed federal lawsuit. The group is now asking a judge to intervene to force the government to answer.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wants to know whether the Justice Department is working on settlement deals with pardoned rioters after hundreds of members of the mob filed lawsuits against the government “seeking millions of dollars for what they claim are injuries incurred during the investigation and prosecution of their federal crimes,” according to the lawsuit. They’re all suing under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which taps into the government’s permanent Judgment Fund used to pay court judgments and other settlements involving the federal government. The administration abandoned plans, at least for now, for a nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to reward the president’s political allies.
As an apparent condition to win the votes of skeptical Senate Republicans, Attorney General Todd Blanche conceded that those plans have been “rescinded and shall have no force or effect.” But Republican lawmakers and top Justice Department officials have suggested that the government has alternate plans to funnel millions of dollars to the president’s aggrieved allies, including the hundreds of people charged and convicted in connection with the Capitol assault. Attorney Peter Ticktin, who represents hundreds of January 6 defendants, has said he has already filed claims for approximately 200 clients. According to Mark McCloskey, an attorney representing many January 6 defendants, most are seeking “$1 million to $10 million” for their alleged injuries.
Earlier this year, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote that “victims” of Joe Biden’s administration should still be able to collect checks if they “can prove their claim against the federal government” through the Federal Tort Claims Act. The Trump administration has already tapped into the fund to settle other multi-million dollar Federal Tort Claims Act claims from his supporters and allies since returning to office, including to pay the family of Ashli Babbitt nearly $5 million.
The Independent has requested comment from the Justice Department. Hours after his inauguration last year, Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 people who were charged or convicted in connection with the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Hundreds of defendants pleaded guilty to crimes in connection with the attack, and more than 200 others were found guilty at trial.
The president has said he “loves” the idea of the "Anti-Weaponization Fund.” “It’s dead, but you know, I wish it weren’t,” he told reporters at Camp David in July. He claimed that hundreds of defendants pleaded guilty because they were “frightened” and that “dirty cops” were at fault for the attack. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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