Since the Trump administration announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund for Americans deemed victims of political 'weaponization,' January 6 Capitol riot defendants and other Trump allies have scrambled to secure their share.
Proud Boys Leader Seeks Millions
Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader sentenced to 22 years for seditious conspiracy over the January 6, 2021 riot, said he plans to apply for between $2 and $5 million. 'I'm not greedy,' Tarrio said. 'But my life was all fucked up because of this.'
Trump pardoned more than 1,500 January 6 defendants last year. Many are now calculating costs of prosecution, jail time, and lost businesses, hoping for compensation for what they view as abuses by the Biden-era Justice Department.
Legal Challenges Emerge
Democrats and some Republicans question the fund's legality, including a provision 'forever barring' the IRS from auditing past tax claims by Trump and his businesses. Two police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 filed a lawsuit to halt the fund, calling it a 'taxpayer-funded slush fund' for Trump supporters involved in violence.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers that even those who assaulted police on January 6 would not be barred from receiving money. Tarrio agrees: 'The Justice Department overprosecuted for political gain. So everyone deserves to get money.'
Claims and Political Reactions
Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin and Richard Neal asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others whether individual awards would be capped and what reports would be public. 'Never in American history has a President pursued corruption this brazenly,' they wrote.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons said he would try to block the fund through spending-bill amendments. Meanwhile, attorney Peter Ticktin, representing over 400 January 6 defendants, plans to file hundreds of claims once the application process is established. He suggested the idea to Trump, his high school classmate, but doesn't know if it influenced the fund's creation.
Other Applicants and Concerns
Former Trump official Michael Caputo formally requested $2.7 million in 'restitution' over Biden-era investigations. Some Democrats have also considered applying, arguing Trump's Justice Department pursues flimsy political cases. Former FBI Director James Comey, twice indicted under Trump, said on CNN he might apply: 'It's to compensate people targeted by the Justice Department for personal, political, or ideological reasons. So I'm guessing I'll be in line.'
However, some Trump supporters remain hesitant. Barry Ramey, a Proud Boys affiliate convicted of attacking police, worries that taking money could jeopardize his claim against the Bureau of Prisons. 'My commitment to justice is not about the money,' he said. But if he could secure $2 million, he might reconsider.
