Judge Orders Trump Fund Probe | Perth News

0:00It's September 5th. This is Perth News today, driven by AI. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reveal who was behind the creation of a controversial $1.8 billion fund. This fund was reportedly meant to compensate victims of political law fair, but it was dropped by the Justice Department last month. The order came as part of a lawsuit filed by a non-profit group, Democracy Forward. On behalf of individuals who claimed they were unfairly targeted, the non-profit is pushing to uncover the full details of the so-called anti-weaponization fund. They believe it was essentially a slush fund and want to ensure it's permanently halted. The former attorney general had previously stated the fund was dead and never actually started suggesting it wouldn't be revived. However, critics, including Democrats, maintained the fund could have been used to compensate individuals involved in the January 6th events, among others. The proposed compensation scheme was reportedly tied to a settlement Trump reached with the

1:04IRS concerning the leak of his tax returns, which also shielded him and his family from future tax audits. Adding to the controversy, another federal judge previously ruled that the lawsuit involving the IRS was never a genuine dispute and was merely a pretense for setting up this fund. This judge found the lawsuit was brought for an improper purpose, seeking judicial legitimacy for a settlement with no real legal basis. Despite the fund being abandoned, Trump has expressed regret and has not rolled out finding other ways to provide compensation, stating that people were horribly treated and horribly abused. The ongoing legal process aims to bring clarity to who was truly behind the initial proposal and its structure.