A federal judge has delivered a blistering rebuke of Donald Trump’s attempt to create a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization” slush fund, accusing his administration of manipulating the courts to give an extraordinary payout the appearance of legitimacy.
In a scathing 56-page order issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams also took the stunning step of approving sanctions and possible bar discipline against Trump’s lawyers who filed the lawsuit, and thwarted the administration’s efforts to funnel taxpayer money to January 6th rioters.
“There is nothing ‘ordinary’ about this case. It is the very definition of sui generis,” wrote the Obama-appointed judge—a Latin phrase that translates to “of its own kind.”
The dispute relates to the Trump administration’s now defunct $1.77 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which was created as part of a settlement resolving Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.
Under the deal, Trump and his family agreed to drop multiple claims against the federal government in exchange for a pool of money that would compensate people who claim they were politically targeted by prior federal investigations or prosecutions—including January 6 rioters.
The settlement also included a jaw-dropping addendum from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that gave Trump extraordinary immunity by blocking the government from pursuing “any and all claims” against the president, his family, or his business.
But after the fund was announced and prompted widespread backlash, Williams reopened the matter to examine concerns raised by a group of 35 former judges, who argued the agreement was “the product of collusion” and a “fraud on the court.”
In doing so, she found the case “was brought for an improper purpose—to gain the imprimatur of judicial legitimacy for a ‘settlement’ that had no viable basis in law or fact."
Williams ruled that Trump and any other entities affiliated with the slush fund settlement—including the Treasury Department and the IRS—were now “prohibited” from using the details of the arrangement in any official capacity.
She also referred one of Trump’s lawyers, Alejandro Brito, to the Florida bar for possible professional discipline, and limited the ability of a second Trump lawyer, Daniel Epstein, to practice in the Southern District of Florida. They have yet to respond to requests for comment.
The judge also excoriated the Justice Department for its handling of the case and accused it of “abdicating its responsibility to zealously defend the interests of the United States.”
“The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the Parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law,” Williams wrote.
The issue is likely to place Blanche under ongoing pressure when he faces a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill to replace Pam Bondi as Attorney General.
Blanche, who is Trump’s former personal lawyer, will be grilled by both sides of the aisle on Wednesday over concerns about his independence. His role in setting up the slush fund and the immunity deal for the president will also be central to the hearings.
The Daily Beast has reached out to DOJ and the White House for comment.
