Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats including Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden are demanding an independent investigation into a Justice Department fund described by critics as an anti-weaponization payment scheme for political allies.
Lawmakers asked the department to explain how roughly $1.8 billion would be allocated to compensate individuals prosecuted under prior administrations. Democratic senators alleged the fund could benefit people linked to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and other politically charged cases.
Republican senators have also raised objections, delaying a vote on related ICE funding legislation before Congress left Washington for the Memorial Day recess. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has faced bipartisan questioning over the program’s design.
Justice Department officials have defended the fund as correcting perceived prosecutorial abuse. Judiciary Democrats said only an external audit can determine whether disbursements comply with appropriations law and constitutional spending limits.
The anti-weaponization fund was packaged within broader Justice Department appropriations debated before the Memorial Day recess. Republican senators who blocked the ICE vote said they objected to both enforcement spending levels and the compensation mechanism’s lack of transparent eligibility criteria.
Warren and Wyden requested documents on eligibility criteria, payment timelines and whether recipients must demonstrate financial harm from prior prosecutions before receiving compensation from the fund.
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Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-fed-chair-warsh-mike-lawler-ice-budget-iran-live-updates-rcna346431