Congress Demands List of People Who Have Applied for Trump Slush Fund

In a memo obtained by Meidas Touch Network, a group of Members of Congress have demanded a list of people who have applied for taxpayer-funded payouts from the Trump Administration's controversial $1.7 billion slush fund.

The 3-page memo, which was submitted to the Justice Department and Treasury Department, said the "conflicting" statements from the Trump Administration about the future of the fund have raised serious questions.

The probe is being led by Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO). The memo said, "Recent reporting shows that attorneys representing hundreds of January 6 defendants have already begun filing claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The precedent your agencies have set, suggesting that January 6 rioters, election deniers, and others advancing baseless allegations of 'weaponization' are entitled to financial remedies at taxpayer expense, is indefensible. The Department of Justice cannot and must not use existing legal mechanisms to accomplish the same objectives as the Anti-Weaponization Fund, even if the fund itself has been quietly abandoned."

In their inquiry, the Members of Congress blast the Administration for the secretive manner in which it is operating the fund. Their letter said, "The opacity surrounding this program has not lessened; it has deepened. And it has fueled legitimate fears that the fund, and the legal rationales underlying it, may have been - or could still be - used to support individuals whose actions undermined democratic institutions or threatened public safety, including through meritless claims brought by January 6 defendants and taxpayer-funded payments to rioters who assaulted law enforcement officers."

There are at least five federal civil suits challenging the slush fund, one of which goes to court on Friday morning. Though one federal judge has briefly paused the operation of the slush fund, Members of Congress are suspicious that the Trump Administration is giving misleading statements about the plans to move forward with the taxpayer-funded payouts.

The memo from Rep. Pettersen and Sen. Bennet said, "Given the extraordinary nature of this fund, the Administration's inconsistent public statements, the surge of filings by individuals convicted of serious offenses, and the DOJ's refusal to provide written confirmation of the fund's termination, your agencies must immediately produce a full accounting of how this fund was created, administered, and ostensibly terminated."

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified in Congress last week that the Administration will not "move forward" with the fund. In a court challenge against the slush fund Wednesday, a Justice Department attorney invoked the same phrase to push back on a lawsuit against the fund, telling the judge the Administration will not "move forward."

The careful word choice and the refusal of Trump Administration officials to commit in writing that the fund is dead, has raised increased suspicions about the Administration's plan.