Jan. 6 prosecutor, Trump administration targets sue over 'weaponization' fund - NBC News
Source: NBC News
A coalition of plaintiffs, including a fired January 6th prosecutor and a law professor acquitted of federal charges, filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to block a $1.8 billion fund established by the Trump administration. The fund, known as the 'anti-weaponization' fund, is designed to provide financial payouts to individuals who claim they were targeted by Democratic administrations. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The plaintiffs argue that the fund is unconstitutional because it creates a politically discriminatory process. According to the suit, the fund exclusively benefits those who allege mistreatment by Democratic officials, while ignoring individuals who claim to have been targeted by Republican administrations. The lawsuit contends that the current Trump administration has itself 'weaponized' federal power against perceived political opponents to an unprecedented degree.
Among the plaintiffs is Andrew Floyd, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who served in the Capitol Siege Section and was fired by Attorney General Pam Bondi in June 2025. Floyd stated that the January 6th rioters had undermined democracy, and that pardoning them removed hard-earned accountability. He argued that asking taxpayers to financially reward those individuals for their criminal actions is both illegal and deeply unjust.
Also named as a plaintiff is Cal State Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, who was acquitted of assaulting law enforcement during a protest at a California cannabis farm. Other plaintiffs include the city of New Haven, the National Abortion Federation, and the watchdog group Common Cause. All are represented by Democracy Forward, a progressive legal nonprofit that has filed over 150 lawsuits during Trump's second term.
Democracy Forward's president, Skye Perryman, stated that the fund lacks any legitimate legal authority, noting that Congress has never authorized it. She emphasized that the executive branch cannot simply establish a billion-dollar fund without legislative approval. Separately, it was noted that Trump and his family had previously sued his own administration for $10 billion over leaked IRS documents, but that lawsuit was quietly dropped before a judge could rule on its validity.
Japanese translation
解雇された1月6日担当検察官や連邦刑事訴追で無罪となった法学教授らが原告となり、トランプ政権の同盟者への資金提供を目的とした18億ドルの基金の差し止めを求める訴訟が金曜日に提起された。「反武器化」基金と呼ばれるこの制度は、民主党政権による標的化を主張する人物への支払いを想定しており、訴訟はバージニア州東部地区連邦地裁に提出された。
原告側は、この基金が憲法に違反する政治的差別を生み出していると主張している。訴状によれば、基金は民主党関係者から不当に扱われたと訴える者のみを対象としており、共和党政権下での被害を訴える人々は除外されている。現トランプ政権こそが、かつてない規模で連邦権力を政敵に対して行使していると訴えは述べている。
原告の一人、元連邦検察官のアンドリュー・フロイド氏は、議事堂襲撃部門の副部長として勤務していたが、2025年6月にパム・ボンディ司法長官に解雇された。同氏は、1月6日の暴徒が民主主義を脅かしたと述べ、彼らを恩赦することで積み重ねられてきた説明責任が失われたと批判した。犯罪行為に報奨金を払わせるのは違法だと強調した。
カリフォルニア州立大チャンネルアイランズ校のジョナサン・カラベロ教授も原告に名を連ねる。同教授はカリフォルニアの農場での抗議活動中に催涙ガス弾を拾い上げたとして起訴されたが無罪となった。ニューヘイブン市や全国中絶連盟、監視団体コモン・コーズも訴訟に参加し、全員が進歩派の法律系非営利団体「デモクラシー・フォワード」に代理されている。
デモクラシー・フォワードのスカイ・ペリーマン代表は、この基金には法的根拠が全く存在せず、議会の授権なしに行政府が数十億ドルの基金を設立することはできないと訴えた。一方、トランプ氏とその家族がIRS書類の流出をめぐり自身の政権を相手取って100億ドルを求めた訴訟は、裁判官が判断を下す前に取り下げられていたことも明らかになった。
Key vocabulary
- plaintiffnoun
A person who brings a legal case against another in a court of law.
和訳: 原告
The plaintiffs in the discrimination case argued that the policy had unfairly disadvantaged them for years.
- acquittedverb
Formally declared not guilty of a criminal charge by a court of law.
和訳: 無罪放免にされた
After a lengthy trial, the defendant was acquitted of all charges due to lack of evidence.
- weaponizeverb
To use something, especially a government institution, as a tool to attack or harm political opponents.
和訳: 武器化する・政治利用する
Critics accused the administration of weaponizing the tax authority to intimidate rival organizations.
- discriminatoryadjective
Making unjust distinctions between people based on group, class, or category, particularly in a way that disadvantages them.
和訳: 差別的な
The hiring policy was ruled discriminatory because it systematically excluded candidates from certain backgrounds.
