The Justice Department on Monday announced the creation of a$1.776 billion fundto compensate President Donald Trump’s allies who claim they were unfairly targeted by the previous administration.

It’s an unprecedented move that would allow the president’s administration to pay his supporters from a government agency he controls with taxpayer money.

Its creation comes as Trumpdroppedhis $10 billion lawsuit alleging that the Internal Revenue Service failed to protect Trump and the Trump Organization from an unauthorized leak of their tax returns.

Trump himself will not receive any payments, but will receive a formal apology, the Justice Department said.

The so-called “anti-weaponization” fund, with its symbolic 1776 figure, is likely to face immediate challenges in court from Democrats and watchdog organizations who say the effort amounts to corruption by allowing the president to enrich allies over what critics they say are unfounded claims of political prosecutions by the Biden administration.

“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was previously a member of Trump’s personal defense team, said in a statement Monday. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”

A commission, made up by five members who have not yet been announced, will run the fund, the department said. Trump will have the power to fire any of the members.

The Justice Department said there are “no partisan requirements to file a claim.” It will process claims through December 15, 2028 – a month before Trump’s second term as president ends.

In January, Trump, along with his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump,sued the IRS and Treasury Departmentfor at least $10 billion. The lawsuit accuses the IRS of an unauthorized leak of their tax returns from his first presidency.

Trump’s lawsuit alleges that the IRS failed to protect confidential tax information and the tax information of the Trump Organization.Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor, was sentenced to five years in prison for leaking Trump’s tax records, along with the records of thousands of others.

Source: Drudge Report