Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection have filed a lawsuit to block the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion government fund. Officers Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges are seeking to prevent the anti-weaponization fund from providing payouts to those who took part in the violence at the Capitol.
The $1.776 billion fund was established by the Department of Justice as part of a settlement to resolve a $10 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax records. The fund is intended to compensate allies of the president who claim the government weaponized the legal system against them.
The lawsuit alleges that the program is an illegal slush fund and describes its creation as the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century. The officers argue that the fund will be used to reward January 6 insurrectionists and finance paramilitary groups that commit violence in the president's name, thereby funding and encouraging acts of political violence.
The legal action seeks to dissolve the fund or block any payments from being made to the insurrectionists involved in the 2021 Capitol riots.