Public Citizen Sues DOJ to Challenge Trump’s Slush Fund
Washington D.C. — On behalf of Allison Gill, Public Citizen Litigation Group today filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to challenge the establishment of the so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” This fund would allow a commission appointed by the Attorney General to dole out nearly $1.8 billion taxpayer dollars, with no oversight, to individuals and entities who claim they were targeted by the federal government. Blanche has indicated that the Fund could be used to pay people convicted as insurrectionists in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
The complaint, filed today in U.S. District Court in San Diego, explains that Blanche and the DOJ established the Fund without following requirements set forth by the Administrative Procedure Act, which include publishing a notice in the Federal Register and giving interested parties the opportunity to comment.
Plaintiff Gill is a former employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs and a founder of the Mueller, She Wrote podcast. Ms. Gill believes that, due to her criticism of President Trump on her podcast, she was subject to “Weaponization” during Trump’s first term. She therefore has a direct interest in the Fund, including its procedures and standards.
“Attorney General Blanche does not have the authority to create, by fiat, a $1.78 billion slush fund to reward Trump’s allies and supporters,” said Nandan Joshi, attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “The fund presents a host of constitutional, legal, and equitable questions that directly affect Ms. Gill’s interests. She and other members of the public have a right to have their voices heard. In addition to the host of other legal problems with the Fund, the government has denied them that opportunity.”
“The Trump administration’s attempted theft of $1.8B in taxpayer money to reward his criminal co-conspirators is an insult to those of us who faced actual weaponization at the hands of the president and his allies,” said Allison Gill, plaintiff in the case. “I will not stand idly by while the government deprives actual victims of lawfare of having our voices heard on the matter. This is not a legitimate fund; it’s pure theft and cannot go unanswered.”
Kimberly Hutchison at Singleton Schreiber in San Diego is co-counsel on the case.