Trump Administration Won’t Rule Out DOJ Payments to Jan. 6 Rioters Who Assaulted Police

(SeaPRwire) –   Following the Trump Administration’s launch of a new $1.776 billion fund to compensate individuals it claims were targeted by the “weaponization” of government, top officials declined on Tuesday to exclude payments to some Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted police officers during the violent attack on the Capitol.

In response to repeated inquiries during a White House briefing about whether individuals convicted of attacking law enforcement officers during the riot would be eligible for compensation, Vice President J.D. Vance stated that the Administration would evaluate applications from defendants linked to the Jan. 6, 2021 siege on the U.S. Capitol on a “case-by-case basis.”

“I don’t rule things out categorically when I know nothing about a person’s individual circumstances,” Vance said. “We do have people who are accused of attacking law enforcement officers. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to completely ignore their claims.”

He added that while the Administration is “not trying to give money to anybody who attacked a police officer,” his willingness to consider such claims reflects another step in efforts to rehabilitate the image of the Jan. 6 rioters. “We’re trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them, they were mistreated by the legal system,” he explained.

Earlier that day, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche provided a similarly open-ended answer during a Senate hearing when asked if members of groups like the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers could qualify for payments from the new fund. “Anybody in this country can apply,” Blanche said, noting that a commission would establish eligibility rules. “The commission will set the rules. That’s not for me to set.”

The remarks highlight how the Trump Administration has sought to reframe the largest criminal investigation conducted by the Justice Department under the Biden Administration as emblematic of political persecution. The rioters themselves—including those convicted of violent assaults on police officers—have been portrayed by the President as patriots, political prisoners, and victims of a corrupt justice system.

On his first day back in office, Trump issued sweeping clemency to nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, pardoning most defendants outright and commuting the sentences of 14 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy. This clemency extended not only to low-level offenders accused of trespassing or disorderly conduct but also to those who had assaulted officers using baseball bats, bear spray, flagpoles, crutches, and other weapons.

More than 600 defendants were accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers during the riot, and nearly 175 were accused of using dangerous or deadly weapons.

The violence on Jan. 6 unfolded after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Trump’s 2020 election defeat. Rioters smashed through windows and police barricades, overwhelmed officers, and forced lawmakers to flee or take shelter. Investigators spent years analyzing thousands of hours of surveillance footage and digital evidence to identify participants in the attack. Trump has repeatedly characterized Jan. 6 as a “day of love” and argued that those prosecuted were persecuted rather than fairly tried.

Even before Trump granted blanket clemency to the rioters in 2025, Vance had expressed mixed views about violent Jan. 6 offenders. In a Fox News interview, he stated that anyone who assaulted a police officer on Jan. 6 “obviously” should not receive a pardon.

“If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned, and there’s a little bit of a gray area there, but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law,” he said. “And there are a lot of people, we think, in the wake of January the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”

Now, as vice president, Vance is declining to eliminate the possibility that some of those same defendants could receive taxpayer-funded compensation.

“I’m not committing to giving anybody money or committing to giving no one money,” he said Tuesday.

The newly established fund—officially named the “Anti-Weaponization Fund”—was announced Monday as part of an agreement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. According to the Administration, the fund aims to compensate individuals harmed by “weaponization and lawfare” by the federal government and to provide financial settlements or formal apologies.

The figure attached to the fund, $1.776 billion, appears intended as a reference to the year of American independence.

Blanche, who previously served as one of Trump’s personal defense attorneys, described the fund as necessary because “the machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American.”

The arrangement has faced fierce and widespread criticism, including from ethics watchdogs and former Justice Department officials. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island called the arrangement “an obvious abuse of power” during Tuesday’s hearing, accusing the administration of creating a system in which Trump’s appointees could direct federal funds toward individuals aligned with the President.

Critics have also raised concerns about the unusual structure of the settlement itself. By dropping his lawsuit against the IRS, Trump avoided judicial review of a formal settlement agreement and instead negotiated with officials within an administration he now leads. The fund will be overseen by a five-member commission appointed by Blanche, though these members may be removed by Trump.

To date, the Justice Department has not released detailed standards outlining who qualifies for compensation or how claims will be evaluated.