Jan. 6 Police Officers Sue to Block Trump’s Payout Fund

WASHINGTON — Two police officers who defended the Capitol against a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021, sued the Trump administration on Wednesday to try to block the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund that they say will be used to reward the rioters and right-wing militia groups.

The lawsuit, filed by former Officer Harry Dunn of the U.S. Capitol Police and Officer Daniel Hodges of Washington’s Metropolitan Police, alleges that the Trump administration has created a “slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.” It names as defendants President Donald Trump, as well as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The suit contends the administration has exceeded its statutory authority by creating the fund without the authorization of Congress.

Trump administration officials have portrayed the fund as a way to compensate people who claim they were unfairly targeted for prosecution by the Biden Justice Department and Democrats, but it has generated widespread opposition, including from some Republicans. Critics see it as nothing more than a pipeline to funnel taxpayer money to Trump’s allies.

“Although Trump and his cronies have been secretive about the fund’s ends, reporting leaves no doubt that it will be used, among other purposes, to pay the nearly 1,600 people charged with attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,” the lawsuit says.

The White House referred questions on the lawsuit to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dunn and Hodges were among the officers who testified before Congress about the violence they witnessed as the mob sought to stop lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden presidential victory.

Dunn, who is running as a Democrat for a congressional seat in Maryland, said in an email that he had been subjected to threats after speaking out against the violence, but was undeterred from pursuing the lawsuit.

“We have already been subjected to countless death threats, in addition to all the violence we faced on Jan. 6,” he said. “And for what? For speaking the truth. I guarantee you somebody is watching this right now and typing death threats against us. This will only continue to embolden — and potentially arm — a militia that Donald Trump will have on retainer.”

The officers are represented by Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor who worked on Jan. 6 cases, and Samuel T. Ward-Packard.

“This fund creates enormous physical dangers for Officers Dunn and Hodges, who risked their lives on Jan. 6, 2021, and who continue to do so by refusing to let that day be forgotten,” Ballou, the founder of the Public Integrity Project, an anti-corruption group, said in a statement. “The fund is stunningly, blindingly illegal, and the defendants must be prohibited from transferring money to this corrupt and illegal monstrosity.”

More than 150 officers were injured during the violence on Jan. 6. Some were hit in the head with baseball bats, flagpoles and pipes. One lost consciousness after rioters used a metal barrier to push her down as they marched to the building.

Upon winning a second term in office, Trump issued nearly 1,600 pardons and 14 commutations for those involved in the assault on the Capitol.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Luke Broadwater/Kenny Holston
c. 2026 The New York Times Company