Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 4
Cassidy, Booker Urge Judge to Keep Trump's $1.8 Billion Fund Frozen
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 4

Cassidy, Booker Urge Judge to Keep Trump's $1.8 Billion Fund Frozen

2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 4

Summary

  • $1.8 billion is at the center of a new bipartisan amicus brief from Senators Bill Cassidy and Cory Booker asking Judge Leonie Brinkema to keep the Trump administration's compensation fund blocked.
  • The senators argued the fund was created as an illegal end-run around Congress and warned it could become a slush fund for Trump allies claiming unfair prosecution.
  • Their filing deepened doubts about the fund's status after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House panel Tuesday that the Justice Department was withdrawing it, only for Trump a day later to say he still liked the idea.
  • Brinkema temporarily blocked the fund last week in a lawsuit brought by former federal prosecutor Andrew Floyd and two others, and she set a June 12 hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, to weigh the legal issues.

Insights

Can a legal settlement create a compensation fund for individuals outside the original lawsuit?