Trump Administration

The DOJ's Flimsy Legal Theories To Support Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

Despite the administration's arguments, a multibillion-dollar settlement fund with no judicial oversight is fairly unprecedented.

Joe Lancaster | 5.26.2026 1:10 PM

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(Illustration: Midjourney)

Last week, President Donald Trump settled his own spurious lawsuit against the government he controls by wresting $1.8 billion from the federal treasury to use for his own ends.

It seems clear the disbursement has no noncorrupt purpose, and the administration is relying on extremely weak legal arguments to make its case.

The case stemmed from a January 2026 lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS, seeking $10 billion in damages, after a disgruntled government contractor leaked his tax returns to the press.

"This claim is nonsensical and worthless," according to Cato Institute scholar David Post, who estimated "a reasonable valuation of this claim" was "$0.00."

Trump suddenly dismissed his own case last week, as the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it would provide $1.776 billion for the "Anti-Weaponization Fund," which would "provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims" by those "who suffered weaponization and lawfare" at the hands of the federal government.

"In reality, this is a massive taxpayer-funded slush fund that Trump will be able to distribute to his friends and allies—including those who rioted at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021," wrote Reason's Eric Boehm. "The Anti-Weaponization Fund is merely the most blatant example (so far) of Trump's corruption."

As if that weren't enough, according to a settlement agreement, the IRS would issue Trump a "formal apology," and it would be "FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED from prosecuting or pursuing" him for any existing offenses—potentially saving the president from more than $100 million in fines for unpaid taxes.

The corruption........

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