Apologies and cash headed to alleged 'weaponization' victims in billion-dollar Trump settlement

The Anti-Weaponization Fund creates a formal process for Americans alleging they were targeted through politically motivated actions by the Justice Department under previous administrations. The program is set to expire a month before the end of Trump's second term.

The fund was created as part of an agreement for Trump and his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., to drop the $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS they filed in January.

"The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department's intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. "As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress."

Trump and his sons are ineligible to receive compensation from the fund but will receive a formal apology, according to the Justice Department.

The fund will have the authority to issue formal apologies and financial compensation to claimants. Funding will come from a permanent congressional appropriation that allows the Justice Department to settle cases. Participation will be voluntary, and there will be no partisan or political requirement to file a claim.

Critics, however, argue the program could allow the administration to compensate Trump allies and supporters who claim they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted.

Former FBI Director James Comey - who was charged by the Justice Department after posting an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell "86-47," which officials interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump - slammed the creation of the fund.

"It just can't be the way we operate," Comey said in an interview with ABC News. "We can't set up a multi-million-dollar ATM at Mar-a-Lago for people who've committed crimes. It just isn't the way we are. It's not consistent with our values. Eventually, the Department of Justice will right itself, but we're gonna have to ride out a hard two years."

The fund is expected to end on Dec. 15, 2028, and any money remaining after the fund ceases operations will return to the federal government.

The Justice Department pointed to the Obama administration's creation of "Keepseagle," a $760 million fund created to compensate people alleging they were victims of racism by the federal government, as the legal precedent for this new fund.

However, the Justice Department stated that $300 million of what remained from the fund was distributed to nonprofits and organizations that never filed claims.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Justice Department for comment.