Vice President J.D. Vance on Tuesday pushed back on criticism of the Trump administration’s $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, saying that those convicted of serious crimes during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol may not be eligible.
“We’re not trying to give money to anybody who attacked a police officer; we’re trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them, they were mistreated by the legal system,” Mr. Vance said during the White House press briefing, at which he stood in for Karoline Leavitt, who’s on maternity leave.
“Every single case has its own details,” he said. “We’re just going to look at every case, case by case. I’m not committing to giving anyone money. What I am committing to is the legal process to review these claims and make sure that people who are mistreated by their government get a little bit of compensation.”
He added, “This is about compensating Americans for the lawfare that we saw under the previous administration.”
Mr. Vance singled out former Mesa County, Colorado, clerk Tina Peters as someone who could receive payouts from the fund. She was convicted on state charges arising from a scheme to tamper with voting systems driven by President Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, commuted her sentence this month, and Ms. Peters will be freed on June 1.
“This is a woman who, at worst, if you believe everything the prosecutors have said about her, committed misdemeanor trespassing and somebody threw the book at her,” Mr. Vance said. “Is it reasonable for her to get some compensation for the fact that she was treated unfairly? I think the answer is yes.”
The Justice Department announced Monday the creation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund “in exchange” for Mr. Trump dropping his lawsuit against the IRS for releasing his tax returns and other claims of damages, including the 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Under the structure, the massive fund would give Mr. Trump’s allies, including Jan. 6 protesters pardoned by the president, a mechanism to seek payouts for claims of government overreach. The fund could even issue formal apologies to people who made claims against the government.
The fund will stop processing claims on Dec. 15, 2028, a month before Mr. Trump’s second term ends. Justice Department lawyers say the nearly $1.8 billion total was based “upon the projected valuation of future claimants’ claims.”
Democrats have blasted the move as a “slush fund” that Mr. Trump will use to reward allies.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat, called the fund “pure fraud and highway robbery” while Rep. Joe Neguse, Colorado Democrat, called it “one of the most brazen examples of corruption we’ve seen from this administration.”
The attorney general would appoint five members of the commission to oversee the fund. One of the members would be chosen in consultation with congressional leadership, the Justice Department said. Mr. Trump could remove any members from the commission at any time, according to the memo establishing the fund.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who issued the memo establishing the fund, said the “machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American,” and the payouts will “make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again.”
Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the “use of government power to target individuals or entities for improper and unlawful political, personal or ideological reasons should not be tolerated by any administration.”
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