Judge blocks payouts from Trump’s ‘anti-weaponisation’ settlement fund

An American flag flies outside the Department of Justice in Washington (Andrew Harnik/AP)

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from paying any claims through a new 1.776 billion dollars (£1.3 billion) settlement fund for Trump allies who believe they were victims of a weaponised government.

US District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, also barred the government from moving forward with the fund’s creation while litigation is pending to challenge it.