‘What weaponization?’: Jeanine Pirro was caught completely off guard on camera when asked about Trump’s $1.7 billion fund for Capitol rioters

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, was left speechless when a reporter asked her about the Department of Justice’s newly created $1.7 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The fund is meant to pay people, including those involved in the January 6th Capitol riot, who say they were targeted by the Biden administration. 

But, according to Mediaite, Pirro appeared to have no idea what the reporter was talking about. When the reporter began, “Given the weaponization announcement today – ” Pirro quickly cut him off and whispered to a colleague, “What weaponization?” The reporter tried again, asking, “Do you think taxpayer money going to people who rioted in the city – ” but Pirro interrupted once more. 

“I don’t know anything about this,” she said. When the reporter tried to explain further, she shot back, “Yeah, I’m not involved in this. You always ask these out of the – out of my lane questions!” The DOJ announced the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” after President Trump agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

The $1.7 billion fund has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats who call it a corruption scheme

The fund will be paid out from the judgment fund, which is a permanent government account used to settle legal cases. It will allow claimants to seek both money and formal apologies. Nearly 100 House Democrats have filed a legal brief objecting to the fund, warning of a “specter of corruption unparalleled in American history.” 

According to NBC News, the House Judiciary Democrats announced, “93 House Democrats have filed a motion to block Trump’s self-dealing settlement in his sham $10 billion IRS lawsuit, which would create a $1.7 billion slush fund for Jan. 6 rioters and political allies.” The brief was filed in the Southern District of Florida and asked Judge Kathleen Williams to dismiss the IRS lawsuit and “closely scrutinize” any potential deal.

Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., called the news “one of the most brazen examples of corruption we’ve seen from this administration.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., described the situation as “pure fraud and highway robbery.” 

The House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force filed a motion seeking to block the fund entirely, arguing that Trump is trying to use it to reward his allies and silence his critics. This comes as Trump has also been pursuing political retribution against January 6 dissenters, with recent primary results showing his continued grip over the Republican Party.

Trump, speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, said the fund was meant to reimburse “people that were horribly treated” and claimed he was not involved in its creation. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the “machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American” and that the DOJ intended to “make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again.” 

Trump has similarly stayed quiet on key foreign policy commitments in other areas, leaving lawmakers and the public with more questions than answers. Trump’s personal lawyers argued in Monday’s court filing that the judge did not need to weigh in because they were voluntarily dismissing the case, and that the administration never replied to the original suit. 

The White House referred all questions about the filing to the Justice Department, while representatives for the Treasury Department and the IRS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  The creation of the fund has raised serious concerns about how it will be run and who will ultimately benefit from it.

With nearly 100 lawmakers pushing back legally, a federal judge being asked to block the deal, and top DOJ officials seemingly unaware of the details, the controversy shows no signs of dying down anytime soon.