Two police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021, have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and top officials to block a new compensation fund created by the administration.
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police officer Daniel Hodges filed the suit this week against President Donald Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. They argue the administration lacks authority to create the roughly $1.8 billion Justice Department fund without congressional approval and warn it could compensate some January 6 defendants and paramilitary groups, potentially emboldening violence. The complaint describes the fund as a “$1.776bn taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists.” The fund, established earlier this week, aims to provide payments to people who see themselves as harmed by federal actions related to the January 6 events.
