Is Trump's $1.7+ billion "anti-weaponization fund" legal? Experts weigh in.

Politics Is Trump's $1.7+ billion "anti-weaponization fund" legal? Experts weigh in. By Jacob Rosen, Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump's 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Read Full Bio Jacob Rosen, Melissa Quinn Melissa Quinn Senior Reporter, Politics Melissa Quinn is a senior reporter for CBSNews.com, where she covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. Read Full Bio Melissa Quinn May 21, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — The Justice Department's new $1.776 billion fund to provide payouts to people alleging the legal system was "weaponized" against them was met with immediate scrutiny and questions surrounding its legality, enforcement and implementation.The Justice Department has said that there are no "partisan requirements" to seek compensation, but if its past settlements and actions and statements from lawyers and communications professionals are any indication, it's likely that President Trump's highest-profile supporters and allies may stand to benefit. The fund was established as part of a settlement agreement between Mr. Trump and the Internal Revenue Service to end a civil lawsuit he and his sons filed in January over the leak of his tax returns by an independent contractor. Dubbed the anti-weaponization fund, the program aims to "provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare."The "anti-weaponization" program is set to receive nearly $1.8 billion from the Judgment Fund, which was set up by Congress in 1956 to pay court judgments and settlements of lawsuits against the government. When the Judgment Fund was first created, it was limited to judgments for claims of up to $100,000, but in the mid-1970s, Congress removed t...