President Donald Trump isn't backing down from the idea of paying people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack — even those accused of assaulting police officers. In an interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Trump defended a proposed "anti-weaponization" fund that has drawn fire from both parties on Capitol Hill.
"Well, look – if it was up to me, I'd pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed," Trump told host Kristen Welker.
The fund, which would have totaled $1.776 billion, was created as part of a settlement in Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax records. But the Justice Department has since scrapped the plan. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers the department was "not moving forward with the fund, period." Blanche also signed a memo barring the IRS from reviewing prior tax returns of the president, his family, or his businesses.
Trump said he personally thinks "the weaponization fund is a great idea, and so do many other Republicans." He added that the fund would need approval from the Justice Department: "You have to get it approved. If they get it approved, that's great." If not, he said, "I'd be disappointed."
The fund faced bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers warning that taxpayer money could go to people convicted of crimes related to the Capitol attack, including those who assaulted police. After a federal judge in Virginia temporarily blocked payouts and a federal judge in Florida reopened Trump's IRS case, the Justice Department dropped the plan entirely.
Trump told Welker the fund was meant for people "destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponization" of government, and that claims would be reviewed individually by "fair people" and "smart people."
As of January 2025, 172 people had pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement in connection with Jan. 6, according to the Police Executive Research Forum. More than 140 officers were injured.
MarketDash reached out to the Department of Justice for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
