Two police officers who defended the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021 attack have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s newly established $1.776 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund, arguing it could be used to reward individuals involved in the riot.
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges filed the complaint in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, calling the fund “the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.”
The lawsuit asks the court to halt any payments from the fund, which was created as part of a settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns during his first presidential term.
The officers argue the fund risks financing groups and individuals who participated in the Capitol assault and continue to threaten law enforcement officers connected to the event.
Trump agreed earlier this week to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of the compensation fund, which the Justice Department said is intended for victims of alleged political “weaponization.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday that the fund is not limited to January 6 defendants and could be available to people from any political affiliation.
Dunn and Hodges allege, however, that the broad language governing the fund creates little oversight and opens the possibility that Capitol rioters could receive taxpayer-funded compensation.
The complaint states that Trump has repeatedly described January 6 participants as having been treated unfairly by the justice system and notes that he issued pardons or sentence commutations to nearly all defendants connected to the attack at the start of his second term.
Both officers detailed injuries and threats they say they suffered during and after the riot.
Dunn, who has since retired from the Capitol Police, previously spoke publicly about racist abuse and psychological trauma linked to the attack.
Hodges, who remains with Washington’s police force, became widely known after video showed him pinned in a Capitol doorway by rioters.
The lawsuit argues that compensating participants in the attack could encourage further violence against officers involved in defending the Capitol.
The case was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia and is expected to be among several legal challenges targeting the settlement agreement.