Former Trump staffer applies to $1.8B fund

Michael Caputo, a longtime Trump ally who served in the first Trump administration, has become the first known applicant to seek payment from the Justice Department’s new Anti-Weaponization Fund. Multiple outlets, including NBC News, The Hill and The New Republic, reported on May 20 that Caputo submitted a claim seeking $2.7 million in restitution. The fund was created days earlier as part of a settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. The arrangement has drawn criticism because the same settlement also bars the government from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization over current tax issues. ### Who is the first known applicant? Michael Caputo is a Republican strategist who worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2024 campaigns and served as a spokesperson at the Department of Health and Human Services during Trump’s first term. NBC News and The Hill reported that Caputo filed the first known claim on Tuesday, May 19, and made the move public the next day. The Hill reported that Caputo is seeking $2.7 million from the fund. In a post cited by that report, Caputo said “the machinery of government was clearly politically weaponized against my family from July 2016 to December 2025.” ### What is this $1.776 billion fund? The Justice Department announced the Anti-Weaponization Fund on May 18 as part of the settlement agreement in Trump’s case against the IRS. In its statement, the department said Attorney General oversight would create “a systematic process” to hear claims from people who say they were harmed by “weaponization and lawfare.” The department said the fund totals $1.776 billion. Some outlets, including The New Republic and Time, rounded that figure to $1.8 billion in headlines and coverage. ### How is the fund tied to Trump’s IRS case? The settlement resolved Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over the disclosure of his tax returns. NPR, PBS and other outlets reported that a document posted by the Justice Department says the United States is “forever barred and precluded” from examining or prosecuting Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization over current tax matters. Politico reported on May 19 that the Justice Department expanded the settlement to cover Trump’s tax audits. Reuters reported on May 20 that legal experts said opponents would face steep hurdles if they tried to challenge either the fund or the tax-audit shield in court. ### Why has Caputo’s filing drawn attention? The New Republic’s May 20 report described Caputo as the first known claimant and argued that his filing sharpened criticism that the fund could benefit Trump allies. NBC News also identified him as the first known claimant, giving the report an independent point of confirmation. Reuters reported that congressional Democrats and watchdog groups have attacked the fund as a vehicle that could steer taxpayer money to Trump allies. Even some Senate Republicans have expressed unease, according to MSNBC and other reports cited in broader coverage of the settlement. ### What happens next? Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, is the named Justice Department official tied to the settlement documents and the new claims process. The department’s May 18 announcement did not set out a public timetable for deciding claims or paying awards. Further scrutiny is likely to center on who files next, how Blanche’s department evaluates eligibility, and whether Congress seeks records or hearings on the settlement and the fund’s administration.