Treasury Lawyer Brian Morrissey Resigns After $1.8 Billion Fund Is Created
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 19
Treasury Lawyer Brian Morrissey Resigns After $1.8 Billion Fund Is Created
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 19
Brian Morrissey left as Treasury general counsel on Monday, just seven months after Senate confirmation and hours after the administration unveiled the new fund.
The Justice Department set up the $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" to compensate people who say the Biden administration improperly targeted them, a group that could include Trump allies and some Jan. 6 participants.
Treasury is tasked with depositing the money into an account controlled by people chosen by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, using the Judgment Fund, which can pay settlements without congressional approval.
The fund stems from a settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over disclosure of his tax information; Trump dropped the case Monday after a judge questioned whether he could sue an agency he controls.
How can a $1.8 billion settlement fund be created using a federal resource that bypasses direct congressional approval?
Amid leadership vacancies and a massive backlog, can the IRS effectively manage the 2026 tax season?
$1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund Spurs Treasury Counsel Resignation and Unprecedented Legal Controversy
Overview
On May 18, 2026, Treasury General Counsel Brian Morrissey abruptly resigned just hours after the Trump administration announced the $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, created by the Justice Department to settle President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. The lawsuit stemmed from the IRS’s failure to prevent a government contractor from leaking Trump’s tax information during his first term. Morrissey’s sudden departure, amid widespread controversy and criticism over the fund’s legality and ethics, has raised serious questions about internal dissent and the potential misuse of taxpayer money for political purposes.