Jan. 6 Officers Sue to Block $1.776B 'Anti-Weaponization' Payouts

Two police officers who bled defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to dissolve a $1.776 billion Justice Department fund they say could funnel taxpayer money to the very rioters who attacked them.

Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn — both of whom testified before Congress about the assault — named Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as defendants. Their suit calls the government's newly created "Anti-Weaponization Fund" an illegal slush fund with no statutory authority, alleging its design "violates the Constitution and federal law."

The lawsuit was filed one day after Blanche, who served as President Donald Trump's personal attorney before joining the Justice Department, told a congressional hearing that Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted officers could potentially qualify for payouts. More than 100 officers were injured in the Capitol riot. Trump pardoned all of the more than 1,600 people charged with Jan. 6-related crimes earlier this year.

The fund was established through a settlement of Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. It is intended to compensate people who allege they were mistreated by prior administrations' Justice Department. A five-member commission appointed by the attorney general will decide who receives money.

The officers' complaint alleges the fund "encourages those who enacted violence in the President's name to continue to do so" and that Hodges and Dunn "already face credible threats of death and violence on a regular basis" — threats the suit claims the fund will intensify. Video from Jan. 6 shows a rioter ripping a mask from Hodges' face while he was pinned against a door during fighting at a tunnel entrance.

Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department prosecutor who handled Jan. 6 prosecutions, is among the attorneys representing the officers. Spokespeople for the Justice and Treasury departments had not responded to requests for comment as of Wednesday afternoon.

Dunn is currently running for a congressional seat in Maryland.

Local Impact: Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL-21), whose district covers Martin and St. Lucie counties, has not issued a public statement on the Anti-Weaponization Fund or the lawsuit as of Wednesday. A hearing date in the federal lawsuit had not been scheduled as of filing time.

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