Trump, who claimed he "wasn't involved" in $1.7B fund, now says he allowed it

Politics Trump, who claimed he "wasn't involved" in creation of "anti-weaponization" fund, now says he allowed it By 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 22, 2026 / 12:11 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — President Trump on Friday defended the Justice Department's new $1.7 billion "anti-weaponization" fund and said he had "allowed" it to go forward, just days after the president asserted he was not involved in its creation.In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that he could have received a significant amount of money as part of a settlement of the civil lawsuit he filed against the Internal Revenue Service over a leak of his tax returns, but instead decided to assist others who he claimed were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration."I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward," the president wrote. "I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune. Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!"Earlier this week, Mr. Trump twice claimed he was not involved in the settlement of his lawsuit and the creation of the fund announced by the Justice Department on Monday."It's been very well received, I have to tell you. I know very little about it. I wasn't involved in the whole creation of it and the negotiation," he said of the fund during an event Monday. "But this is reimbursing people who were horribly treated."He reiterated Wednesday to reporters that he "wasn't involved in the settlement."In response to a request for comment to CBS News, a White House official said: "There is no discrepancy. As the Pres...