Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) leveled sharp accusations Monday against President Trump, alleging that a newly created $1.78 billion Department of Justice fund is designed to bankroll what he called a “private militia” for the president’s allies. Speaking on MS NOW with Rachel Maddow, Raskin described the so-called “anti-weaponization fund” as “the most Orwellian title you can imagine” and a scheme unprecedented in U.S. history.
“It’s all about weaponizing the tax dollars of the American people to support Donald Trump’s private militia,” Raskin said, pointing to groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers as potential beneficiaries. He argued that legitimate legal claims belong in federal court, noting that similar cases have “lost their cases overwhelmingly.”
The fund, announced by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, is part of a settlement in Trump’s now-withdrawn $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over a contractor leak of his tax returns. Blanche claimed the fund has “no partisan requirement,” but Raskin and other Democrats see it as a political slush fund. “He sees a pot of money and the dollar signs go off in his eyes,” Raskin added.
Raskin also challenged the fund’s legality, calling it “thoroughly illegal and unconstitutional” without congressional authorization. He cited the 14th Amendment, which bars spending federal money to compensate individuals for insurrection or rebellion against the United States. “Even if Congress wanted to do such a thing—which we never would—it would be unconstitutional,” he said.
The only Republican to publicly criticize the fund was Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who lost his primary bid over the weekend. “People are concerned about making their own ends meet, not about putting a slush fund together without a legal precedent,” Cassidy told reporters. His loss is a stark warning to Senate Republicans on Trump loyalty, as noted in Cassidy's Louisiana loss sends stark warning to Senate Republicans on Trump loyalty.
The DOJ has cited the Keepseagle v. Vilsack case as a legal precedent, but a group of 93 House Democrats filed an amicus brief to block the fund. The brief argues that “no controversy can exist when the plaintiff controls the defendant, as President Trump does here,” raising “the specter of corruption unparalleled in American history.” Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, called the lawsuit “never about justice, it’s another self-enrichment scheme on the backs of hard-working taxpayers.”
For more on the fund’s details, see DOJ Unveils $1.78B Fund for Trump Allies Claiming Biden-Era Persecution. The controversy is also expected to feature prominently in upcoming Senate hearings, as Senate Grills Acting AG Blanche Over $1.8B Fund for Trump Allies.
