WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump plans to drop his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that would have benefited political allies, Axios reported on Monday, after a firestorm of criticism including from some of his fellow Republicans.
“It’s dead for now,” said one of two senior administration officials cited by Axios.
The fund, which would compensate victims of political “weaponization” with taxpayer money, emerged from a legal settlement between Trump’s Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service to resolve an unprecedented lawsuit in which the president had sought $10 billion over the alleged mishandling of his tax records.
The announcement set off criticism, with lawmakers raising concerns about potential self-dealing by Trump, and the prospect of payouts to violent Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol and assaulted police on January 6, 2021.
On Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from moving forward with the fund.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Doina Chiacu;Editing by David Ljunggren and Daphne Psaledakis)
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