Bill Cassidy files brief urging court to block 'anti-weaponization fund'

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Thursday filed a brief urging a judge to block the Department of Justice's "anti-weaponization" fund, which has prompted fears that it could reward allies of President Donald Trump.

Cassidy filed the brief alongside Sen. Cory Booker, asserting that the case "is a question of whether the machinery of democratic government may be turned, by design and with explicit intent, against the democratic foundations it exists to serve," according to Meidas Touch's Scott MacFarlane.

"As sitting U.S. Senators, amici are duty-bound to protect the institutional authority of Congress and its duly-elected representatives," the pair wrote. "The Constitution of the United States directs the power of the purse to Congress alone."

The $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund was the product of a settlement to end Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns by contractor Charles Littlejohn, who pleaded guilty. It's announcement drew bipartisan backlash due concerns the White House could use it to reward political allies. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche previously stated that the DOJ would not move forward with the fund after facing legal setbacks and criticism from lawmakers.

Cassidy recently lost his primary against the Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., finishing third behind state Treasurer John Fleming. The Louisiana lawmaker earned Trump's ire after voting to convict him in his second impeachment trial over Jan. 6.

Since his ouster, Cassidy has made several symbolic moves against the president, including by voting against him in a war powers resolution. 

Several retiring senators, moreover, have become unpredictable on matters key to the president, with lawmakers like Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., increasingly willing to oppose Trump on key issues.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.