May 29, 2026, 5:09 p.mMay 29, 2026, 5:09 p.m
Trump supporters at the infamous storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (archive image)Image: keystone
US President Donald Trump has failed for the time being with his controversial compensation fund for alleged victims of the US justice system. A federal court in Virginia temporarily halted the plans and scheduled a court hearing for June 12, according to the decision. With the stop, the court wants to ensure that no money can be irrevocably paid out through the fund until the case has been clarified.
Trump had drawn massive criticism even from within the Republican ranks because of his compensation fund – Anti-Weaponization Fund. Critics talk about “bribes” for Trump loyalists and corruption. In Congress, votes on other budget funds were even delayed in order to build pressure on Trump.
According to the US Department of Justice, around 1.8 billion dollars (around 1.5 billion euros) will flow into a new fund intended to compensate alleged victims of politically or ideologically motivated actions by the state.
Money for those involved in the storming of the Capitol?
Critics fear that government money could be spent on rewarding Trump supporters who were present at the storming of the Capitol in 2021 and were indicted for this during Joe Biden’s administration. Trump issued a number of pardons after taking office in 2025.
On January 6, 2021, there was a violent storm on the Parliament building in the US capital Washington, where the election victory of the Democrat and Trump opponent Biden was to be officially confirmed.
Trump – then voted out of office after his first term (2017-2021) but still in office – repeated in a speech the repeatedly refuted claim that he had been deprived of his election victory through fraud. After the speech, Trump’s supporters stormed the parliament building.
The fund is the result of a remarkable settlement between Trump and the judiciary: the president sued the state as a private individual in January and demanded billions in compensation. The lawsuit accused a former employee of the Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of unlawfully gaining access to tax data from the family business Trump Organization during Trump’s first term in office (2017-2021) and passing it on to “left-leaning media.” The authority is subordinate to the US Department of the Treasury. (sda/dpa)