By Emmanuel Bobby
A federal judge declined Wednesday to temporarily stop the Trump administration’s proposed “anti-weaponization” compensation fund but delivered a pointed warning to Justice Department officials, cautioning them against creating confusion over whether the controversial initiative is truly being abandoned.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied a request for a temporary restraining order filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), one of several organizations attempting to halt implementation of the proposed $1.8 billion fund. Even while rejecting the request, Leon made clear that the government’s handling of the matter had raised concerns.
Addressing a Justice Department attorney during the hearing, Leon issued a direct warning.
“Don’t play possum with this court,” the judge said, signaling frustration over what appeared to be conflicting messages from administration officials regarding the future of the fund.
At the center of the dispute is uncertainty surrounding whether the initiative is still active.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche previously told members of Congress that the fund was not moving ahead. The Justice Department reinforced that position in a court filing submitted last week, stating explicitly that the “anti-weaponization” initiative was “not going forward.”
Despite those statements, President Donald Trump recently expressed support for the idea publicly.
In a televised interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he liked the concept of compensating individuals he believes were harmed through what he has repeatedly described as political “weaponization” of government institutions. He suggested that, if the decision were his alone, those individuals should receive substantial financial compensation.
The proposed fund emerged from a highly unusual legal arrangement involving Trump’s private legal team and the federal government.
The agreement stems from a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Trump, two of his sons and the Trump Organization following the disclosure of Trump’s federal tax returns several years ago. That leak ultimately resulted in the conviction and five-year prison sentence of a former IRS contractor accused of unlawfully releasing confidential tax information.
The proposed compensation mechanism has sparked immediate legal and political backlash.
Another federal judge has already issued a separate temporary order preventing the Justice Department from taking action connected to the fund while litigation proceeds. That lawsuit was filed by several individuals, including a former top prosecutor involved in Jan. 6-related cases who was later dismissed by the department.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Leon repeatedly questioned why the Justice Department had not formally revoked the order establishing the fund if officials truly intended to abandon the effort.
Leon pressed Justice Department official Andrew Block directly on that issue, asking why courts and the public were being asked to rely on congressional testimony and court filings rather than a formal withdrawal.
Block acknowledged the concern but did not provide a clear explanation.
“I don’t know,” he responded, adding that he personally signed the court filing stating the program would not proceed, alongside Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
The exchange underscored the unusual legal posture surrounding the case: a fund officially created but publicly described as inactive, while remaining formally intact.
Leon himself highlighted the extraordinary circumstances.
“This whole case is highly unusual, to say the least,” the judge remarked during the hearing.
For now, the court’s decision means the proposed fund remains technically unblocked in this case, but growing judicial scrutiny and ongoing litigation continue to cloud whether the initiative will ever become operational.
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