Jan. 6 rioters are pushing for public payouts. Team Trump is likely to oblige.

The Trump administration's $1.776 billion compensation fund tied to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack has effectively been scrapped. Attorney General Todd Blanche pulled it after critics in both parties labeled it a "slush fund," and he has assured Congress it will not return. MS NOW's Steve Benen argues, however, that the White House retains other ways to route public money to the rioters and appears eager to use them. This week, a group of people prosecuted over the attack filed civil suits against the federal government, alleging their rights were violated. The New Republic reports that one plaintiff, Lisa Eisenhart, says she was singled out, arrested and punished for her expressive and associational activity as a protester. The plaintiffs want compensatory and punitive damages. Officials have signaled openness to paying. Blanche said last month that the anti-weaponization fund would not be the vehicle, yet added that he and Trump want to "make them whole" for people he said were harmed by a weaponized Justice Department. Trump, on NBC News' "Meet the Press," said he would pay them "the kind of money that they deserve." Benen notes the administration has already steered several million taxpayer dollars to allies through dubious settlements, following a pattern: an ally sues, Justice offers a check, and the suit is dropped. He says the question is not whether rioters will be paid this way but what it will cost the public.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →