Trump’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is ‘dead’. So why does a judge want its architects exposed?

A US federal judge is seeking information about the architects behind the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" that was linked to President Donald Trump. The fund, which was part of a settlement involving Trump, his sons, his company, and the Internal Revenue Service, was supposed to provide payouts to people who claimed they had suffered "weaponization and lawfare".

However, Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the fund is now "dead". Despite this, US Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis granted part of a request from plaintiffs seeking information about the fund's creation, including the names of the people who helped design it. This ruling is seen as a significant step by the plaintiffs in uncovering the details surrounding the fund.

The fund faced criticism for potentially covering January 6 rioters who had been convicted of violent crimes and later pardoned by Trump. Blanche later wrote that the fund was rescinded, but critics argued that the original agreement did not include the other signatories, leaving open the possibility of reviving the fund and related IRS immunity.

Trump himself has not completely rejected the idea, stating that he believed "people were horribly treated". The issue resurfaced this week when a January 6 defendant posted a photograph of himself in Blanche's office.