The Daily Fuckup

A federal judge on June 12 kept the Trump administration’s Anti-Weaponization Fund blocked and ordered the government to file a status report within seven days on what, if anything, it has done to comply with the court’s injunction. The order leaves in place a preliminary injunction barring the creation or operation of the fund while the case moves forward.

The program was announced by the Justice Department on May 18 as part of a settlement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service. DOJ said the attorney general had set up a process to hear claims from people who say they were harmed by “weaponization and lawfare.” The department said the settlement would direct $1.776 billion from the Judgment Fund, a permanent federal appropriation used for certain settlements and judgments. Under the agreement, the plaintiffs — Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization — were to receive a formal apology but no cash payment.

The June 12 order does not settle whether the fund is lawful. It is a procedural ruling that keeps the status quo in place while the litigation continues. The court’s injunction remains in effect unless and until it is changed by later order.

For now, the administration has a name for the program, a price tag attached to it and a court order preventing it from taking effect.