‘The Greatest Betrayal Of Them All’: Ex-D.C. Cop Attacked On Jan. 6 Shreds Donald Trump DOJ ‘Slush Fund’
Michael Fanone, a former police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 attack, strongly criticized Donald Trump and the Justice Department after reports emerged about a proposed $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The fund could reportedly be used to compensate people who were charged or prosecuted for their involvement in the Capitol riot.
Fanone, who was violently attacked by rioters while trying to protect the Capitol that day, said the move feels deeply painful and insulting to the officers who risked their lives defending democracy. Speaking on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, he said it was like “rubbing salt in the wound” for the police officers who fought against the mob during the attack.
Fanone has been outspoken ever since January 6, often warning that many people are trying to downplay or rewrite what happened that day. He said Trump’s decision to pardon around 1,500 people connected to the riot destroyed what little accountability remained. According to him, the latest plan involving the massive fund only makes the situation worse and sends a dangerous message to the country.
In a post on his Substack page, Fanone described the proposed fund as a “slush fund,” arguing that it was essentially created as part of a deal connected to Trump dropping his lawsuit against the Department of Justice. The amount, $1.776 billion, appears to reference the year 1776, the year America declared independence. Fanone accused the administration of using patriotic symbolism to justify rewarding people connected to violence and chaos at the Capitol.
Earlier this year, Trump filed lawsuits against the IRS and the Treasury Department after his tax information was leaked in 2020. Reports say the administration now plans to drop some of those legal claims while moving forward with the new fund. According to the Justice Department, the money is supposed to help people who allegedly suffered from what they describe as political “weaponization” or unfair legal targeting.
But critics, especially Democrats and former law enforcement officers like Fanone, fear the money could end up benefiting Trump’s political supporters and allies, including people tied to the Capitol riot. Fanone argued that this would be a betrayal of the officers who were injured and traumatized during the attack.
He expressed outrage that taxpayer money could potentially be used this way, saying Americans are effectively being forced to help finance what he views as the normalization of political violence. He described the situation as a direct insult to democracy and to the memory of those who defended the Capitol.
Fanone became emotional while speaking about it, saying the idea disgusted him “to the core.” He argued that the symbolism behind the fund, especially the use of the number 1776, attempts to portray the rioters as patriots rather than people who violently stormed the Capitol after the 2020 election.
When Trump was later asked by reporters about the fund, he claimed he knew very little about it. Fanone rejected that explanation and accused Trump of effectively rewarding people who committed violence in support of him.
According to Fanone, the fund represents what he called a “buyout” for violent criminals. He argued that Trump has spent years helping normalize political aggression and hostility in America, and he warned that actions like this only deepen the divisions and anger already present in the country.
For Fanone, the issue goes beyond politics. To him, it is personal. He was one of the officers physically attacked during the riot, suffering serious injuries and emotional trauma. That is why he believes proposals like this are not just political decisions, but a painful reminder of a day that nearly cost lives and shook the foundations of American democracy.
