# Is there a remedy for Trump's $1.8B slush fund? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 20, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244 "2026-05-20T14:44:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/83 "2026-05-29T12:44:50Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > That’s not even close to what a Bill of Attainder is. And at least three distinguished SCOTUS judges are highly likely to agree with you. As I said before, I favor states trying this unless obviously against their state constitution. The federal constitution is too vaguely worded to know how that would go, especially in such a political case. SCOTUS Republicans might say it is an excessive fine banned by the 8th amendment. But that’s too speculative to be a reason not to try. I stole the 8th amendment idea from this Politico article: [Blue states’ plan for 100% tax on Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ payouts not as easy as it looks](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/29/blue-states-anti-weaponization-tax-00941968) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/84 "2026-05-29T13:55:38Z")
A bill of attainder is not limited to criminal offenses. See United States v. Lovett. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/85 "2026-05-29T14:31:55Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > See United States v. Lovett. …Which involved charging people with the criminal offense of subversive activities. Previously, Cummings v. Missouri, which was a case defining what a Bill of Attainder was, had involved oath laws that turned previously legal acts into crimes, and increased the penalty of known crimes. Ex parte Garland was a similar case involving Bills of Attainder, also involving oath laws, and criminally punished a person for a crime that he was pardoned for. I’m not saying it isn’t unconstitutional, and my gut tells me it probably is. But not as a Bill of Attainder. I don’t even see what crime is being alleged by this tax. And these are attempts to hijack a payout, not levy fines against people or garner their wages. I can see an argument that this is a form of civil forfeiture, where the payout is part of a crime on the behalf of the Trump administration, rather than those receiving the money, and might therefore violate the 8th Amendment as @PhillyGuy suggests. Of course, you have to determine that a crime occurred to begin with. And while that has been alleged, it hasn’t been determined by any legal process yet. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/86 "2026-05-29T14:41:03Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > If the Democrats can take a house of Congress, we can expect that this will be a huge topic for investigation; And they will be concerned, and furrow their brows, and then give Trump the money “to heal the nation and put this whole nightmare behind us.” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/87 "2026-05-29T14:44:38Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > And they will be concerned, and furrow their brows, and then give Trump the money “to heal the nation and put this whole nightmare behind us.” I don’t think that would happen. They’d definitely make the effort to block the payouts. That’s the kind of thing that Democrats actually do; they care about blocking Republican money. On the other hand, going after people criminally for their involvement? I don’t think they’d go any farther than a gentle reprimand, even if a blatant violation of law occurred. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/88 "2026-05-29T15:18:57Z")
A federal judge has temporarily blocked any action on the fund pending a June 12 hearing. > **[Judge temporarily blocks payouts from Trump's $1.776 billion...](https://apnews.com/article/trump-settlement-fund-antiweaponization-8baaee6aa8d83f0ad2905f5f8d457dec)** > > A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from paying any claims through a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for the Republican president's allies who believe they were victims of a weaponized government. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/89 "2026-05-29T15:53:07Z")
Payouts are blocked. Did Trump get it though? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/90 "2026-05-29T15:57:45Z")
The story says there have been no payments from the fund. Don’t worry, though. Trump always figures out a way to get his. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/91 "2026-05-29T18:54:53Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > A federal judge has temporarily blocked any action on the fund pending a June 12 hearing. As I predicted. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/92 "2026-05-29T19:01:01Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Don’t worry, though. Trump always figures out a way to get his. [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ6iBWDh1Mo58vFfHH0wqTb4A8SizfjE-XjfQ&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ6iBWDh1Mo58vFfHH0wqTb4A8SizfjE-XjfQ&s) “Trump, uh, finds a way.” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/93 "2026-05-29T22:11:51Z")
Another judge has reopened the suit that the proposed payout was a “settlement” of. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/us/politics/trump-irs-lawsuit-ruling.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/us/politics/trump-irs-lawsuit-ruling.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/94 "2026-05-29T22:58:32Z")
Non-paywalled version: [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/29/trump-irs-settlement-anti-weaponization-fund-00943459](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/29/trump-irs-settlement-anti-weaponization-fund-00943459) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2026, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/95 "2026-05-30T12:58:56Z")
Trump wishes she was as bereft of morals and humanity as him so he could just offer her a chuck of the payout. That’s how his heroes would handle this situation. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/96 "2026-05-30T15:07:26Z")
It’s great the Judge is taking a look at this. To undo it, the Judge will need to prove fraud. That’s hard. Near impossible when neither party is bothered by the fraud / not going to be offering any evidence. With that said, if I’m the Judge, I wouldn’t start this process unless I already knew how I was going to rule. It would suck to look this over and effectively give it approval if you don’t undo it. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/97 "2026-05-30T22:15:39Z")
Didn’t they add her initials to the settlement agreement as though she signed off on it? I hope I heard that right, because that could hopefully come back to bite them in the ass at least for disbarrment. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/98 "2026-05-31T13:16:36Z")
No. Nothing like that. The fraud the Court is concerned about here is “[fraud on the court](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_60)”. Basically, using the legal system itself for an improper purpose. Here, pretending the two parties were adverse that required a lawsuit and billion dollar settlement. It didn’t. The problem is neither party is concerned about it. And im not sure a Judge gets to decide whether a settlement is fair or not (especially when both parties agree it is). Here, a non-party had to file the motion into this case to bring it to the Judge’s attention. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/99 "2026-05-31T15:16:17Z")
There should be disbarment procedings. Do that a couple of times and see if anyone works for this moron. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/100 "2026-05-31T19:41:15Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > There should be disbarment procedings For whom? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/101 "2026-05-31T23:11:12Z")
It’s humorous that they thought that they had to put into writing that trump, and anybody trump likes, would be immune from audits. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244/102 "2026-05-31T23:11:44Z")
Not sure if that is what was really there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-remedy-for-trumps-1-8b-slush-fund/1030244.md?page=6)