Van Hollen calls Trump DOJ settlement fund a political slush fund

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the Justice Department’s new anti-weaponization fund was “corrupt from the start,” framing it as a test of whether Congress will allow taxpayer money to move through a claims process with thin political checks.

The fund was announced on Monday, May 18, as part of a settlement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service. Under the deal, Donald J. Trump, Donald J. Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization dropped their lawsuit against the Treasury Department and IRS. Trump was to receive a formal apology but no money. The Justice Department said the settlement also created a way for other people who say they were harmed by “weaponization and lawfare” to seek redress.

The department said the Anti-Weaponization Fund will receive $1.776 billion from the judgment fund, a permanent federal appropriation used to pay settlements. It said the program has no partisan requirement for filing claims, can issue formal apologies and monetary relief, and will stop processing claims no later than December 1, 2028. Any money left over at the end will revert to the federal government.

Oversight sits with a five-person commission appointed by the attorney general, with one member chosen in consultation with congressional leadership. That structure has become the core of the fight on Capitol Hill, where critics say the fund gives too much discretion to political appointees and too little clarity on who will benefit. The Justice Department said the program could be audited and pointed to the Obama administration’s Keepseagle settlement, a $760 million claims fund for Native American farmers and ranchers, as precedent.

Van Hollen has moved quickly to put guardrails around the program. He announced an amendment to block current or former members of Congress from receiving any payout, and his office said he is also pushing to bar violent criminals, including people who assaulted police officers, and child molesters from getting money. His attack on the fund echoed broader Democratic concerns that a claims process tied to a politically charged settlement could end up rewarding the wrong people.

Republican unease has added to the pressure. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said GOP senators wanted an explanation of how the fund would work and how it would be fenced in. Sen. Tommy Tuberville called the rollout a “curveball,” while Sen. Thom Tillis dismissed it as a “payout pot for punks” and “stupid on stilts.” The dispute has left Washington divided over a basic accountability question: whether the fund is a legitimate settlement mechanism or a politically directed slush fund with too few restraints.