Judge orders Trump to answer questions about whether settlement that created “anti-weaponization fund” was “fraud” A federal judge has ordered President Trump’s lawyers to respond to allegations of “deception” and “fraud” in a case concerning a controversial $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The judge is considering reopening the case after retired federal judges argued the government and Trump may have “deceived” her into dismissing it earlier. This development follows another judge’s temporary bar on the Justice Department’s work with the fund.

• A federal judge may reopen a legal case involving President Trump and his government related to a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund.”
• The judge ordered Trump’s lawyers to respond to allegations of “deception” and “fraud” raised by retired federal judges.
• Retired judges claim the lawsuit was “collusive from the start” and filed to legitimize an “unlawful settlement.”
• The Justice Department had agreed to set up the fund to compensate alleged victims of government “weaponization” after Trump sued the IRS.
• Democrats have criticized the fund as a “slush fund,” while the Justice Department defends it as apolitical.
• The judge has the power to investigate “serious misconduct” and impose sanctions if necessary.