Trump's $1.7+ billion fund sparks rush to capitalize: "All J6ers will apply"
The Trump administration's newly-announced $1.776 billion fund to compensate people who claim that the government weaponized the legal system against them has attorneys and communications professionals scrambling to position their clients for a handout, CBS News has learned.
TL;DR
- The Trump administration has created a $1.776 billion fund for compensation claims of government weaponization of the legal system.
- Attorneys and public relations professionals are preparing clients to submit claims for the fund.
- The fund will be overseen by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general and will operate until December 2028.
- Criteria for compensation are loosely defined, focusing on the 'totality of the circumstances,' including legal and prison costs.
- Jan. 6 defendants, including Jenny Cudd and those represented by Joseph McBride, plan to apply for restitution from the fund.
- Past settlements by the DOJ with figures like Mark Houck and Michael Flynn are cited as potential indicators of who might benefit.
- Critics, including ethics groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, have labeled the fund as 'brazen self-dealing.'
- Some Republicans, such as Senator Bill Cassidy, have expressed skepticism about the fund's necessity and purpose.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that 'anybody in this country can apply' to the fund, including Jan. 6 defendants.