The $1. 776 billion fund was created under a settlement from Trump’s civil case against the IRS after a former government contractor disclosed his tax returns. The administration has said the money was intended to compensate those damaged by government “weaponization” and “lawfare,” terms Trump has frequently used to describe what he contends was the political targeting of conservatives and his friends. But critics say the fund has no clear legal basis, no monitoring, and may be used to reward Trump followers, even individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U. S. Capitol. Last year, on his first day back in office, President Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people convicted in connection with the attack on Congress as his supporters tried to reverse former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election triumph.
