David GilmourMay 19th, 2026, 9:08 am

The Treasury Department’s top lawyer resigned on Monday, just hours after the Trump administration announced its $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” designed to compensate people who claim they were unfairly targeted by past administrations.

Brian Morrissey, the Treasury Department’s general counsel who also served in President Donald Trump’s first administration, stepped down seven months after winning Senate confirmation to the role, according to The New York Times.

His departure came the same day the Justice Department formally announced the creation of the fund, which will be financed through a pool of money used to pay settlements without congressional approval to people who argue they were subjected to politically motivated investigations or prosecutions.

The new initiative is linked to a legal settlement in Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leak of his tax information during his first term in office. The IRS sits within the Treasury Department’s jurisdiction. Under the arrangement released Monday, the Treasury Department will deposit roughly $1.776 billion into an account overseen by a group selected by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The action has widely been blasted as a “slush fund.”

Morrissey did not publicly explain his resignation and did not respond to requests from The Times for comment.

A Treasury spokesperson told the newspaper: “Mr. Morrissey has served the United States Treasury with both honor and integrity. We wish him all the best in his next endeavors.”

According to people familiar with the matter, Morrissey’s resignation letter thanked both Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the opportunity to serve in the administration.

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