Donald Trump’s favorite network is “seriously considering” cashing in on the president’s $1.8 billion slush fund aimed at financially compensating those who claim they were “politically targeted” by the federal government.
The president this week struck a deal with his own Justice Department to create a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” in exchange for dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.
While critics have condemned the arrangement as a corrupt giveaway of taxpayer money to Trump’s allies—and even Republicans are pledging to block it—some are already moving to tap into the vast payout fund.
The avowedly pro-Trump network One American News (OAN), which promoted false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, is among those vying for a share, CNN reports.
Chris Babcock, a lawyer for OAN, told CNN on Wednesday that the company is “seriously considering pursuing rights under this fund and will make a decision shortly about whether to file a claim.”
The network was dropped by most large cable providers after 2020, and it settled defamation lawsuits with Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems over airing false claims that voting machines switched millions of ballots from Trump to Joe Biden in 2020.
OAN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, MyPillow CEO, who similarly promoted baseless voter-fraud claims after the 2020 election and was later investigated by the FBI, told CNN he blames government weaponization for a $400 million hit to his business.
“I would say we were the number-one company in the world hurt by our own government,” Lindell, 64, said, adding that the fund was Trump’s way of “looking out for these people that were attacked.”
Lindell’s media outlet, LindellTV, serves up wall-to-wall praise for the president and his circle, and holds official press credentials for the White House, Capitol Hill, and the Pentagon.
LindellTV did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Convicted Jan. 6 rioters are among those eyeing payouts from the $1.8 billion fund. Convicted Jan. 6 rioter Dominic Box, who was pardoned by Trump last year, told CNN he is struggling to support himself, saying, “I look forward to financial compensation. I need it. This will be a welcome relief.”
During a hearing on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche would not rule out payouts to violent offenders or Trump’s own allies and political donors.
“Anybody can apply,” Blanche, 51, said. “The commissioners will set rules, I’m sure. That’s not for me to set. That’s for the commissioners. And whether an individual, an Oath Keeper you just mentioned, applies for compensation, anybody in this country can apply.”
Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, will be the one to appoint a five-member commission to control the fund, each of whom can be removed by Trump at any time without cause. One member of the commission will be chosen in collaboration with Congress.
The settlement agreement says that those paid by the fund will remain anonymous to the public, as will the amount they receive.
It also astoundingly bars the president and his family members, including his sons, Eric and Donald Jr., from being audited or prosecuted for unpaid taxes.
