Judge Orders DOJ to Reveal Anti-Weaponization Fund Architects

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge Friday ordered the Trump administration to identify the people who came up with the structure for the nearly $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" that Attorney General Todd Blanche has said is now "dead."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis issued the order in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of a lawsuit challenging the legality of the fund and a separate provision of a Justice Department agreement that provided broad protections for President Donald Trump, his family, and his businesses from certain past tax investigations.

"Who came up with it? That's what conception means," Davis said during the hearing, according to the Washington Post.

The fund was announced by the Justice Department in May as part of an agreement resolving a lawsuit Trump had filed against the Internal Revenue Service over the disclosure of some of his tax returns to news organizations. The Justice Department defended the fund when it was announced, saying it would create a lawful process for people who believed they had been victims of government "weaponization" to seek redress.

The underlying lawsuit was filed May 22, 2026, by a group of individuals and organizations, including former federal prosecutor Andrew Floyd, the City of New Haven, the National Abortion Federation, and Common Cause.

The ruling is narrower than what the plaintiffs had requested. Plaintiffs sought information identifying people involved in conceiving, creating, and carrying out the fund.

"Today's order granting discovery is a significant step in getting to the bottom of the slush fund," said Aman George, a lawyer with Democracy Forward, which filed the lawsuit.