Can Anybody Spare a Dime for Jan. 6 Victims?

Letter to Romans: While there’s a long-standing Victims Compensation Fund Act on the books, govt persecution is something that’s arguably never been adequately addressed by the courts. Enter Trump’s post-Jan 6 $1.8B “Anti-Weaponization Fund” …

Of course, critics & even some GOP pols are balking at using any federal funds to compensate alleged (and very hard to nail down aka prove) political persecution, e.g., via federal police targeting and/or lawfare harassment. In reply, the precedent-setting Trump weaponization fund certainly comes in part from No. 45-47’s personal experience of having been hounded by Democrat Congressional pols & prosecutors in an unprecedented fashion. Ironically, Mr. Trump has been remarkably effective in using the existing court system & such vehicles as libel lawsuits to win millions in compensation. Alas, the average January 6^th complainant doesn’t have the financial resources to hire an army of top lawyers to make his or her point. And, knowing this, the president is trying to find a way to get them some justice. If PROVEN.

As details of the Trump relief fund are still being hashed out, THAT evidentiary quandary (as well as who will be the decision maker parceling out claims) is becoming a key sticking point. As the WSJ noted, GOP Senator Thom Tillis called it “’a payout pot for punks.’” He’s not alone. The paper says, “Many Republican senators expressed concerns about the fund’s legality & lack of guardrails.” The funding is to be supplied by Congress’s existing “Judgment Fund" so it’s not clear a new spending authorization is needed. Two cops “defending” the Capitol & presumably not attacking alleged attackers have sued to challenge the president’s fund. While Congress will keep debating as usual, expect this mess to wind up before the US Supreme Court … as is increasingly the usual case.

Davd Soul