WASHINGTON, DC — The Department of Justice, under Trump’s personal fixer Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, has announced a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” with no independent oversight, no judicial review, and complete control vested in a commission handpicked by Blanche himself.
The fund is already drawing applicants: Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign operative and former HHS official, filed the first known claim, seeking $2.7 million. Blanche has confirmed that “anybody in this country can apply” and explicitly refused to rule out payouts to even the most violent offenders.
Here are just a few of Trump’s cronies who could cash in on the slush fund:
January 6 Insurrectionists
- Enrique Tarrio, convicted of seditious conspiracy for leading the Proud Boys’ attack on the Capitol and sentenced to 22 years before Trump’s pardon, plans to apply for $2–5 million. He has argued that those who assaulted police on January 6 “deserve to get money” and described J6 defendants planning in Rumble group chats to use the money to buy firearms and run for office.
- Barry Ramey, a Proud Boys affiliate convicted of assaulting Capitol Police officers and sentenced to 5 years before Trump pardoned him, is eyeing $2 million from the fund.
- Yvonne St Cyr, who served 2.5 years for crawling through a Senate office window on January 6, told the Washington Post she plans to seek $10 million.
- Jenny Cudd, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor trespass, told CBS News that “all J6ers will apply for restitution” and the fund is “all over Twitter and our group chats.”
- Andrew Paul Johnson, pardoned by Trump for his January 6 role and later convicted of molesting two middle-school-aged children and sentenced to life, is expected to apply. When Sen. Chris Van Hollen pressed him on this case, Acting AG Blanche refused to commit that Johnson would be barred from receiving money.
- Andrew Taake, who attacked officers with bear spray on January 6 while on pretrial release for child solicitation and is now a registered sex offender, is expected to apply.
2020 Election Deniers
- John Eastman, architect of the fake electors scheme to block Congress from certifying the 2020 election and subsequently disbarred in California, has expressed interest in compensation.
- Tina Peters, convicted of criminal conspiracy to breach election security in Mesa County, Colorado, is expected to apply. VP JD Vance called her an “innocent grandmother” serving a “completely disproportionate” sentence and said it’s “reasonable for her to get some compensation.”
- Meshawn Maddock and Clifford Frost, two of the 16 Michigan Republicans who signed fraudulent electoral certificates falsely claiming Trump won Michigan in 2020, have expressed interest.
- One America News, which settled defamation lawsuits with Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic after promoting debunked election machine claims, confirmed it’s “seriously considering pursuing rights under this fund.”
Convicted Trump Cronies
- Roger Stone, convicted of seven felony counts for lying to Congress and witness tampering to protect Trump during the Russia investigation, told the Wall Street Journal he “certainly would be entitled to make a claim.”
- Peter Navarro, convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a January 6 committee subpoena, is expected to apply. His attorney told the Washington Post the fund will help Navarro and other Trump aides who tried to overturn the 2020 election.
- Rod Blagojevich, who spent eight years in federal prison, told the Washington Post that “if this is the vehicle” for seeking vindication, he’s open to it.
MAGA-Affiliated Organizations
- Moms for Liberty said it “was targeted by the Biden administration” and is “currently exploring our options to seek restitution.”
- The Thomas More Society, an anti-abortion legal advocacy group, confirmed it’s “actively exploring available avenues to seek compensation” for clients prosecuted under the federal FACE Act for blocking abortion clinic entrances.
- Anti-abortion protesters prosecuted under the FACE Act were specifically identified in the DOJ settlement as eligible for payouts. Trump had already pardoned two dozen such activists in January 2025.