# Capitol police officers sue Trump over $1.8B 'weaponization' fund  
**Published:** 2026-05-22T10:35:35.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/22/repub/jan-6-police-officers-sue-trump-over-1-77b-taxpayer-funded-slush-fund/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/capitol-police-officers-sue-trump-over-1-8b-weaponization-fund

Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, sued the Trump administration Wednesday to block creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people alleging they were victims of judicial weaponization, saying the money could benefit the rioters who attacked them.

[According to the Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/22/repub/jan-6-police-officers-sue-trump-over-1-77b-taxpayer-funded-slush-fund/), retired U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges filed suit in federal court in Washington, D.C., arguing that the fund constitutes an illegal "slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence" in Trump's name.

The "Anti-Weaponization Fund" was announced Monday by the Justice Department as part of a settlement ending Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the 2019 leak of his tax returns. The fund draws from the federal Judgment Fund, a permanent Treasury appropriation used to settle legal claims against the government.

Dunn and Hodges said in their complaint that nearly all Jan. 6 rioters were pardoned by Trump on his first day back in office last year and could benefit from the fund to organize further violence. Trump pardoned approximately 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the Capitol attack.

"In the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century, President Donald J. Trump has created a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name," their complaint states. They named Trump, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as defendants.

Both officers described serious injuries during the attack. Hodges said rioters tried to gouge out his eyes and crush him between metal doors. Dunn faced racial slurs and direct engagement with attackers. Under the settlement agreement, [a five-member panel appointed by the attorney general would decide who receives payments](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-anti-weaponization-fund), with only one appointment requiring congressional consultation. The president can remove any member at will.

The settlement has drawn bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the fund "stupid on stilts," warning that taxpayer dollars could compensate someone "who assaulted a police officer, admitted their guilt, got convicted, got pardoned, and now we are going to pay them."

Senate GOP leaders delayed a $72 billion immigration and security bill after members sought guardrails on the DOJ fund. Acting Attorney General Blanche spent two hours briefing Senate Republicans Thursday but failed to win support. Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said his explanations "did not win" her support.

Dunn, who received the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Citizens Medal for his Capitol defense, is running as a Democrat for a Maryland U.S. House seat. He told Maryland Matters the fund came as no surprise. "This was a promise to his supporters," Dunn said. "When it was finally announced, there was no doubt in our minds to stop this."

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/22/repub/jan-6-police-officers-sue-trump-over-1-77b-taxpayer-funded-slush-fund/)
- [Justice Department announcement of the Anti-Weaponization Fund](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-anti-weaponization-fund)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/22/repub/jan-6-police-officers-sue-trump-over-1-77b-taxpayer-funded-slush-fund/.