By Maribel Velazquez
The administration of donald trump announced the creation of a $1.7 billion fund, called Anti-Militarization Fundintended to compensate people who claim to have been politically persecuted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) during the Joe Biden government.
The announcement once again placed the president at the center of the controversy, after he indirectly defended the program and uttered a phrase that sparked criticism inside and outside Congress, amid questions about the possible use of public resources to benefit political allies and people investigated by the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
During a press conference, a journalist questioned President Donald Trump about why American taxpayers should bear the consequences related to the events of January 6, 2021.
In response, the president said that the fund has been “very well received”although he claimed not to have participated directly in its creation or in the negotiations of the agreement.
“I know very little about it. I did not participate in its creation or in the negotiation,” declared. However, he defended the program by pointing out that seeks to compensate people who, according to him, were “treated horribly” by authorities during judicial proceedings. “It is a measure against the militarization of weapons,” Trump said.
The president also maintained that several defendants faced devastating economic and personal consequences as a result of the investigations and criminal proceedings against him. “In some cases, they have been wrongfully imprisoned. They paid legal fees they did not have. They have gone bankrupt. Their lives have been destroyed,” he said.
Trump insisted that many of those people “were right” and described the period as “a shocking moment in the history of our country.” Additionally, he praised the DOJ’s work around the program: “I know the Department of Justice has really been working very hard on it.”
Reporter: The DOJ has this original fund — $1.7 billion. Why would possibly well perhaps aloof taxpayers pay for the January 6ers?
Trump: Attributable to in my world, loyalty outranks law. They broke the foundations for me, so you pay the bill for them. That’s the transaction. pic.twitter.com/pR71BdWkhY
— chiky handler (@chiky_handlr) Might perhaps perhaps furthermore 19, 2026
While Trump made his position clear on those involved in the assault on the Capitol on January 6the acting classic prosecutor Todd Blanche faced strong questioning in the Senate during his appearance on the controversial increase in funding for the DOJ and the new anti-militarization program.
Blanche, Trump’s former top lawyer, avoided committing to preventing the president’s campaign donors or people convicted of assaulting police officers from accessing the compensation fund. “I am not committed to anything beyond the extrajudicial agreement itself”he responded when asked about possible restrictions.
The Democratic Senator Chris Coons asked directly if I would guarantee that No person convicted of attacking agents during January 6 received compensation some. Blanche replied that “Anyone can apply” and assured that the program commissioners will be the ones to establish the eligibility rules.
The tension increased when the senator Chris Van Hollen mentioned the case of a person pardoned by Trump who, he said, continued to sexually abuse minors and tried to buy their silence by promising them money from the fund.
When asked if that individual could be excluded, Blanche responded: “You are obviously lying in your question.”. Van Hollen replied: “I’m reporting what he said.”
Keep reading:
- Supreme Court Helps Trump Administration Dismiss Charges Against Steve Bannon
- The man pardoned by Trump for storming the Capitol was found guilty of child sexual abuse
