Republican Defies Trump, Joins Democrat To Kill Weaponization Victim Fund

A Republican and a Democratic lawmaker allied Thursday to defeat President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion weaponization victim fund.

Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick joined Democratic New York Rep. Tom Suozzi to introduce the “Bipartisan Transparency for American Taxpayers Act” in an effort to stop Trump’s new fund for lawfare victims. The bill prohibits the use of federal funds for any claims submitted to the newly announced “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) fund was established to repay Americans determined to be victims of unfair and partisan government weaponization. (RELATED: Some GOP Senators Aren’t On Board With Trump’s Weaponization Fund)

“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Monday press release. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”

Fitzpatrick argued that it was not sufficiently clear where the money was coming from and how it would be distributed.

“A nearly $1.8 billion DOJ-controlled fund cannot be created, defined, and distributed in the shadows…” Fitzpatrick said in a post on X. “Taxpayer dollars will not be turned into a discretionary payout fund,” he added. “Transparency is not optional. Accountability is not negotiable.”

This fund was agreed upon in conjunction with a settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after the president filed a civil suit over his leaked tax returns. Fitzpatrick maintained that he and his constituents “don’t want a DOJ slush fund that has not been described or explained to anybody.” (RELATED: Trump Drops $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit, DOJ Confirms Lawfare Compensation Fund)

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Republican senators Thursday after several members expressed concerns about the fund, but insists that Americans are in support of it.

“I do not think the American people have issues with that,” Blanche added. “To the contrary. I think they do want their tax dollars spent on things like that.”