A federal judge temporarily halted work on a Trump administration compensation fund for people who say they were targeted by politically motivated federal investigations while legal challenges proceed.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund intended for people who claim they were wrongfully targeted by federal investigations or prosecutions.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, issued the order Friday, pausing further action on the fund while the court considers additional legal arguments.
The administration announced the compensation program earlier this month as a $1.776 billion fund for individuals who say they were unjustly investigated for political reasons, including during the Biden administration. The fund grew out of a settlement resolving President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS after the leak of his tax returns.
According to Reuters, Brinkema’s order bars the administration from “taking any further action” to create or operate the fund while the case continues.
“U.S. judge on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from setting up a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of what Trump has called government ‘weaponization,’” Reuters reported.
“The order by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia blocks the Trump administration from ‘taking any further action’ to set up or operate the fund while the judge hears additional legal arguments,” Reuters reported.
The lawsuit challenging the fund was filed last week by Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor involved in Jan. 6 Capitol protest cases, Jonathan Caravello, a California professor arrested while protesting an immigration raid, and several nonprofit organizations, according to CBS News.
The plaintiffs argue that the compensation plan amounts to a “collusive agreement” between Trump and his administration that “has no congressional authorization, no basis in law, and no accountability,” according to CBS News.
The challenge is one of several recent lawsuits aimed at stopping the administration from implementing the fund. Two other law enforcement officers who confronted protesters during the Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol have also sued to block the program.
The administration has framed the fund as a way to compensate people who believe they were harmed by politically motivated Justice Department actions or other federal investigations. Critics, including Democrats and liberal activists, have argued that the fund lacks proper authority and could amount to an improper financial arrangement.
Brinkema’s order does not decide the broader legality of the fund. It temporarily stops the administration from taking additional steps to establish or operate the program while the court reviews the plaintiffs’ claims.
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