A Trump associate and supporter predicted earlier this year that the Justice Department would hand out millions of dollars in payouts to Jan. 6 rioters who were later pardoned by President Trump. That prediction could come true after the Justice Department announced that it would create a $1.776 billion fund that could go to those who had "suffered weaponization and lawfare" under the Joe Biden administration.
NBC News reported that the prediction was made by Ed Martin, who once oversaw the Justice Department's "weaponization" working group, which investigated the past probes of the president and his allies.
Martin told some Republican operatives over breakfast earlier this year that he expected payouts to come out of a pot of $40 million. The fund will be almost 200 times bigger and is being set up as a settlement to a $10 billion lawsuit President Trump and his sons filed against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of Trump's tax returns to the press. Other claims in the lawsuit focused on the search of Trump's home for classified documents in 2022 and the Russian interference investigation involving the 2016 election.
"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," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress."
Blanche, whose position was to represent the government side in the lawsuit filed against it by Trump, was appointed by Trump to be deputy attorney general. Blanche became acting attorney general after Trump fired Pam Bondi earlier this year.
The creation of the $1.776 billion fund was applauded by Martin on X: "To the survivors of political weaponization: The lesson of the last few days is to never stop fighting. Never stand down, never disarm, and follow the lead of President Trump who never stops fighting."
In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday, Blanche said that Jan. 6 rioters were not going to immediately get payouts. Rather, he said there would be a commission of five members who would evaluate applications for payouts, NBC News reported.
"Does it mean they're going to get money? No," Blanche said according to NBC News in refence to the Jan. 6 rioters. "It just means they are allowed to apply."
Blanche told the committee anyone who was the victim of weaponization of the government could apply. "So whether you're Hunter Biden, or whether you're another individual who believed they were a victim of weaponization, they can all apply," Blanche said.
