The fact that we knew the scheme was coming didn’t make it any easier to accept. Three months after Donald Trump filed a radical (and by any fair measure, frivolous) $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, the president’s lawyers announced Monday morning that they had agreed to withdraw the case.
Hours later, the other side of the agreement came to public light: In exchange for dropping his rather silly lawsuit, Trump’s own Justice Department announced the creation of a pool of money that it’s calling “The Anti-Weaponization Fund” — which Democrats and legal experts are more accurately characterizing as a “slush fund.”
As the day progressed, additional details came into sharper focus, which made the dubious deal appear even more brazenly corrupt. It’s a story with a lot of moving parts, so let’s dig in with a Q&A.
How much money are we talking about?
According to the DOJ press release, the “fund” will have $1.776 billion. (With the nation poised to celebrate its 250th birthday, the amount is not coincidental.)
Will the money come from taxpayers or private sources?
The former. This isn’t analogous to Trump turning to corporate donors to help pay for his ballroom vanity project. Rather, every penny of the $1.776 billion will come from Americans’ pockets.
The administration has downplayed the importance of this, claiming that funds like these have been around for years. Is that true?
The details matter. The federal government has long had what’s known as the Judgment Fund, which has been used for monetary settlements, paying those who have filed suit against the government. It was not, however, designed to be used this way.
Why not?
Because the intended beneficiaries of Team Trump’s fund are the president’s political allies. Trump said as much on Monday afternoon, declaring at an unrelated event that he expects the money to go toward “reimbursing people” whom he believes were “horribly treated” by law enforcement during the Biden administration.
Who will control the pot of money?
Trump’s former lawyer, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, will be responsible for choosing five people who will administer the fund for the remainder of Trump’s second term. The shell game, however, is hardly subtle: Blanche is not only a presidential sycophant, desperate to do whatever Trump wants, but the president will also have the authority to fire commission members at his discretion, leaving little doubt that the White House will maintain control over the $1.776 billion.
Will Jan. 6 rioters get taxpayer-funded financial rewards as part of this scheme?
That seems very likely. Though the process is just now getting underway, Trump conceded on Monday that those who attacked the U.S. Capitol in his name would be eligible for payouts from the fund.
Are there any actual victims who might have legitimate claims to taxpayer money?
Recommended
This whole endeavor is based in its entirety on a baseless conspiracy theory about the Biden administration weaponizing the levers of power against poor, unsuspecting Republicans and their like-minded allies. The party, however, has never presented a shred of credible evidence to bolster the conspiracy theory, despite extensive efforts to uncover some proof, making the whole idea behind the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” rather ridiculous.
Would the courts or Congress play an oversight role in this endeavor?
Based on the available information and the structure of the plan, no. Team Trump has agreed to give Team Trump $1.776 billion to be spent by Team Trump to benefit those politically aligned with Team Trump, with Team Trump responsible for overseeing itself.
Isn’t that inherently corrupt?
Yes. In fact, I lost count of how many observers characterized the gambit as among the most corrupt actions in U.S. presidential history, if not the most corrupt.
Are other Republicans really on board with this?
For the most part, prominent GOP officials said very little following Monday’s announcement, though Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, just two days after an embarrassing primary defeat, was critical of the deal, explicitly referring to the arrangement as a “slush fund” and suggesting that this gambit is at odds with the principle that the United States is “a nation of laws.”
Just as notably, Brian Morrissey, the Treasury Department’s top lawyer, resigned immediately after the deal was announced. Though Morrissey didn’t comment publicly on why he was quitting, under the structure of the scandalous deal, the Treasury Department will be responsible for depositing the $1.776 billion into an account to be controlled by the Blanche-appointed commission. (Before the right turns on Morrissey, it’s worth noting that he’s a Trump appointee who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.)
So where does this leave us?
With a political scheme that looks an awful lot like a heist. Much of the political world has grown understandably inured to the day-to-day corruption that’s come to define Trump’s tenure, but a giant, taxpayer-financed reparations fund for Trump’s pals reflects new depths unlike anything Americans have ever seen.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
Latest Post