A longtime Donald Trump ally has become the first to seek a taxpayer payout from the President's newly created $1.8 billion 'slush fund,' seeking $2.7 million in damages.
Michael Caputo, a former Trump administration spokesman, claims he was wrongfully targeted by the FBI during the Obama-era investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.
Attorney General Todd Blanche received a letter from Caputo posted on X where he claims 'the machinery of government was clearly politically weaponized against my family from July 2016 to December 2025.'
Caputo told Blanche he was the target of a 2021 investigation tied to his One America News documentary that alleged Ukraine had meddled in the 2020 election to help Biden.
A declassified March 2021 intelligence assessment tied Russian operatives to a January 2020 documentary on a US network, widely speculated to be Caputo's film.
The Justice Department resolved a $10 billion lawsuit the President had brought against the agency by establishing a $1.8 billion fund for his political allies.
It was created to issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants who were subjected to 'lawfare' under the Biden administration.
Democratic lawmakers have slammed Trump over the 'slush fund' by referring to it as the most corrupt act in presidential history. Trump defended the fund by claiming it was designed to reimburse those who were 'horribly treated.'
A longtime Donald Trump ally has become the first to seek $2.7 million in taxpayer money from the President's newly created $1.8 billion 'slush fund'
Attorney General Todd Blanche received a letter from Caputo where he claims 'the machinery of government was clearly politically weaponized against my family from July 2016 to December 2025'
Michael Caputo, a former Trump administration spokesman, claims he was wrongfully targeted by the FBI during the Obama-era investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia
More than 1,600 January 6 defendants pardoned by Trump are eligible to receive payments from the fund.
Two police officers who defended the US Capitol during the 2021 riot have sued Trump in a Washington, DC, district court to block the fund.
The plaintiffs, former Capitol police officer Harry Dunn and active DC police officer Daniel Hodges, claim Trump created 'a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.'
Hodges was pinned in a doorframe by a rioter wielding a stolen police shield, beaten in the head and left bleeding from the mouth during the Capitol riot.
The officer suffered a concussion in one of the most widely circulated assaults from that day.
While Trump is barred from directly receiving payments from the fund, entities associated with him are not explicitly prohibited from filing additional ones.
The President, his sons Don Jr and Eric, and the Trump Organization initially filed suit against the Treasury and IRS in the Southern District of Florida federal court after the leak of their tax returns in 2019.
Five commissioners will be appointed to oversee the fund and disburse payments to those seeking redress for alleged political persecution under Biden.
'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, during the January 6 riot in 2021
Blanche, Trump's former attorney who defended him during his criminal trials, will be responsible for appointments to the commission. Trump has the authority to remove any member.
Blanche was grilled by a Democratic senator on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
The AG defended the fund, stating that it would not be limited to Republicans or those investigated by the Biden DOJ. Blanche said all payouts will be a matter of public record.
He described the fund as 'a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.'