President Donald Trump is moving to establish a $1.7 billion (£1.26bn) taxpayer-funded compensation fund that would pay political allies and individuals charged in connection with the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack. The arrangement is tied to Trump dropping his $10 billion (£7.4bn) lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, a deal that has not yet been officially announced.
The fund would draw money from the Treasury Department's Judgment Fund, a permanent appropriation used by the federal government to pay court judgments and settlements. Crucially, Congress would not need to separately approve the payment, raising immediate concerns among critics and some administration officials alike.
