Former VP Pence Condemns Trump's $1.8 Billion DOJ Settlement Fund

Former Vice President Mike Pence on May 31, 2026, called the Trump administration’s new $1.8 billion settlement fund “deeply offensive,” citing the possibility it could compensate participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Pence, who was targeted during the attack while presiding over the 2020 election certification, urged the Department of Justice to abandon the initiative. The fund was established to resolve President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over the 2019 disclosure of his tax records, settling claims of politically motivated legal actions. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated Trump would not personally receive money from the fund. The structure has sparked bipartisan condemnation and immediate legal challenges. On May 29, a federal judge in Virginia temporarily blocked the administration from operating the fund pending further review. A separate lawsuit filed by police officers who responded to the Capitol breach labeled the fund “the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.”