Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is escalating his fight against the Justice Department over a $1.78 billion compensation fund he says could line the pockets of individuals who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Durbin argued the so-called “anti-weaponization” fund would undermine law enforcement and incentivize political violence.
“The notion of the federal government doling out compensation to rioters who sought to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and violently assaulted members of the United States Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department on January 6, 2021 is absurd and offensive,” Durbin wrote, in a letter first obtained by NBC News.
The fund stems from a settlement tied to President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. Trump agreed to drop the lawsuit in exchange for the creation of the fund, among other concessions. Blanche has not ruled out payments to individuals charged in connection with the January 6 attack, many of whom received pardons after Trump returned to office.
Durbin and other lawmakers have demanded transparency on eligibility criteria, but the administration has so far provided few details. The senator’s letter requests documentation and a full breakdown of eligibility requirements by May 28.
“To prioritize rewarding these insurrectionists as if they have been victimized while hard-working, honest Americans struggle to make ends meet in this economy of skyrocketing food and gas prices is indefensible,” Durbin wrote.
The controversy has drawn bipartisan pushback. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) told reporters Wednesday that House Republicans are “going to try to kill” the fund. In his own letter to Blanche, Fitzpatrick pressed for clarity on the fund’s legality and oversight.
“A massive discretionary fund, with no oversight or approval from Congress, represents a dangerous backsliding in the transparency of our institutions and our commitment to the American taxpayer,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
The fund has also faced legal challenges. A lawsuit from January 6 Capitol Police officers seeks to block payments to rioters. Meanwhile, figures like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell have signaled interest in seeking payouts, raising further concerns about the fund’s reach.
The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
