Trump’s “Targeting” Story Was Never About Justice — It Was About the $1.7 Billion He Wants Now.

Donald Trump keeps saying the Biden Administration weaponized the Department of Justice, that he targeted people. He has repeated it at rallies, in interviews, and on social media. He never really explains what that actually means. There's a reason for that: the story isn’t meant to be explained. It is meant to be felt. Because the moment you look at the facts, the whole thing falls apart. Trump points to a handful of cases in which the Justice Department, during Biden's time in office, charged people under the FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances). The FACE Act is a law that has been enforced by every president since the 1990s, including Republicans. These cases weren’t about politics. They were about people blocking the doors to women’s health clinics and threatening workers. That’s been illegal for decades. And here’s the part that Trump never mentions: His own Department of Justice prosecuted FACE Act cases, too. 

Trump is quick to throw stones at the Biden Administration while hiding his own Administration's actions. Under the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice, a man was charged with threatening to bomb a Planned Parenthood clinic. Another was charged with threatening to “shoot up” a clinic. More than one activist was charged with physically blocking clinic entrances. A man was charged with threatening to burn down a reproductive health center. These were Trump-era prosecutions. They were public. They were routine. They were based on the same law Trump now claims were “weaponized” by the Biden Administration. So, the idea that Biden suddenly turned the FACE Act into a political weapon simply isn’t true. The law didn’t change. The enforcement didn’t change. The only thing that changed was the story Trump started telling. And now we know why: he’s using the story to demand a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded payout. 

Here’s what’s really happening. Trump sued the IRS after an employee leaked his tax returns. That leak was illegal, and the person went to jail.  But instead of letting the case play out like any normal lawsuit, Trump is offering a deal. He wants the creation of a $1.7 billion “compensation fund,” and he will drop the lawsuit. Who would get paid from this fund? Not regular taxpayers. Not people harmed by the leak. Not people with proven damages. No – the money would go to people who say they were “targeted” under Biden, conservative activists, and nearly 1600 January 6 defendants. And here’s the kicker, they wouldn’t have to prove anything. They would just have to claim they were wronged. This isn’t a settlement. It’s a slush fund. And the conflict of interest is off the charts. The world watched in horror as what happened on January 6th unfolded. The Biden Administration did not target these people, but they could be eligible for those funds. 

Trump is suing the IRS. The IRS is part of the Treasury Department. The Treasury Department is part of the executive branch. The Treasury Department is run by Trump. The lawyers defending the IRS? They work for Trump’s Justice Department. The fund Trump's wants? It would come from the Treasury’s Judgment Fund, which Trump controls. The commission that would hand out the money? Trump would appoint it. Trump could fire its members. And it could keep its decisions secret, leaving no oversight or accountability. So, Trump is suing himself, negotiating with himself, and demanding that the American taxpayer foot the bill. That is what true corruption looks like.

Now here is the part that exposes the double standard. If Barack Obama had sued the IRS while he was president, demanded a billion-dollar payout, and insisted the money go to his political supporters, the country would have exploded with Trump leading the charge. Congress would have held emergency hearings. Conservative media would have run wall-to-wall coverage. People would have called it corruption, abuse of power, and grounds for impeachment. You know what? They would be right. But because it’s Trump, are the people just saying, “Well, that’s just how he is?” For Obama, it would be an impeachable offense, but with Trump, it’s ok. I would think that both sides of the aisle would be screaming about this. This is not the action of a man who loves his country. The Reaction of the Republican Party is not the reaction of a political party that loves its country.  Is that how our democracy dies? Not with a bang, but with a shrug? 

Here is the part that really matters: Trump’s “Biden targeted people” story is not only a lie, but it is the excuse he’s using to justify the corrupt payout. If you really look at it, the story doesn’t match the facts. What does match the facts is Trump’s own record, not Biden's. Reuters has documented more than 470 people and institutions that Trump has publicly targeted for revenge. ABC News has documented Trump pressuring the DOJ to prosecute his critics. Trump himself promised that his second term would be built on “retribution.” When Trump says Biden “targeted” people, he’s doing what he always does: accusing someone else of what he's doing.

The $1.7 billion fund is the endgame. The “targeting” story is the setup. The lawsuit is the vehicle. This isn’t about justice. It’s about money, power, and payback. The courts now must decide whether a president can sue his own government, settle with himself, and use public money to reward his political base. If they allow it, the message will be clear: the rules don’t matter anymore. Power does. Once that line is crossed, it’s almost impossible to walk it back.