Trump DOJ ‘lawfare’ fund temporarily blocked by judge as suit proceeds

A federal judge in Virginia on Friday temporarily blocked the Department of Justice from taking any further action to create or disburse money from its so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund as one of three lawsuits challenging it proceeds.

Judge Leon Brinkema said she would hold a hearing on June 12 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on whether to maintain the injunction against the DOJ’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this month said he was creating that fund as part of a settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit by President Donald Trump against the Internal Revenue Service for the leak of his tax records by an IRS employee.

The fund is meant to compensate people who allege they were the victims of prosecutorial overreach by the DOJ under the Biden administration, which they and Trump have called “lawfare.”

Critics have called it a “slush fund” for Trump allies, including people who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, who on Thursday had asked Brinkema for the injunction and expedited briefing on blocking the fund, is Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who said he was fired last year for his work prosecuting Jan. 6 defendants.

The other plaintiffs are Jonathan Caravello, a university professor who said he was baselessly arrested in 2025 while protesting an immigration protest in California, and the city of New Haven, which the Trump administration sued for acting as a so-called sanctuary city for immigrants.

Brinkema, in her order, enjoined the DOJ from “taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which includes the transferring of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursing of any funds from the Fund.”

Brinkema, in a pointed footnote in her order, wrote, “It is important that the status quo be maintained until plaintiffs’ pending Motion has been resolved.”

Brinkema said that was “especially” important because the plaintiffs had alleged that DOJ’s lawyers were ” ‘unable … to provide assurances of how long [the] status quo would last’ and declined plaintiffs’ request that the government commit to not transferring money to the Fund or processing or paying claims until at least June 19 to allow for less compressed briefing in this case.”

A number of Trump allies have already said they want compensation from the fund.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Brinkema’s order.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a post on X on Friday said, “Of all Trump’s corrupt schemes, his insurrectionist slush fund is one of the most depraved.”

“This ruling is an important win — but the fight is far from over,” Schumer wrote. “Democrats will keep fighting in the courts and in Congress to make sure this $2 billion giveaway to cop beaters, criminals, and MAGA cronies never sees the light of day.

— CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this article.

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