WASHINGTON— Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who claim they were targets of a “weaponized” legal system.
Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., naming President Donald Trump, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as defendants.
The lawsuit challenges a $1.776 billion fund created as part of a settlement in which the Trump administration agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over leaked tax records. The fund is intended to compensate individuals who allege they were victims of politically motivated prosecutions under previous administrations.
In the complaint, the officers argue the fund violates federal law and could be used to pay participants or organizers of the Jan. 6 attack. They describe it as a “taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name,” according to court filings reported by multiple outlets.
“This is the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century,” the lawsuit states, per accounts from Reuters and other news organizations.
Dunn and Hodges were among law enforcement officers who confronted rioters trying to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Both have publicly described injuries sustained during the events and have testified before Congress.
The Trump administration has described the fund as an effort to address what it calls “lawfare” and weaponization of the justice system. Acting Attorney General Blanche has not ruled out payouts to some Jan. 6 defendants, according to prior statements.
Details on the exact eligibility criteria for the fund and the timeline for potential payouts remain unclear. The Justice Department and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit, as reported Wednesday.
The suit is the first known legal challenge to the fund, which was established earlier this week. It seeks a court order declaring the fund’s creation illegal and blocking any transfers or payments.
Attorneys for the officers, associated with the Public Integrity Project, contend the administration exceeded its statutory authority by creating the fund without congressional approval.
As of Wednesday evening, no hearing date had been set in the case, and the administration had not filed a formal response.
