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Vance says Hunter Biden could be in line for share of Trump’s $1.8 billion fund

May 20, 2026 | | Print Article

Vice President J.D. Vance pointed out that even Hunter Biden could benefit from the Justice Department’s new “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, the vice president remarked that the media had “misrepresented” the $1.8 billion fund that was set up to settle President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. While Democrats have melted down over what they claim is a “slush fund,” the compensation is intended to go to those who claim they were wrongfully targeted by the Biden administration – even the former president’s own son.

“Why should taxpayers be paying to settle a $10 billion lawsuit that was brought by the president of the United States?” Jonathan Karl of ABC News asked Vance in the White House briefing room.

“And should people that attacked the Capitol building and assaulted police officers, should they be eligible? Should they receive money?” he added.

“I think in some ways, the media has misrepresented what this is actually about,” Vance replied. “This is about compensating Americans for the lawfare that we saw under the last administration. And by the way, anybody can apply for it.”

“Republicans can apply for it,” the VP continued. “Democrats can apply for it. As you know, the President of the United States has pardoned a number of Democrats whom he felt were actually subject to this lawfare. I mean, if Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to. It’s gonna go through a normal process where we vet everything, where we try to identify whether people’s claims are actually legitimate.”

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also noted that the fund has zero partisan requirements.

“So, whether you’re Hunter Biden or another individual who believed they were a victim of weaponization, they can all apply to this fund. And again, it doesn’t mean the commissioners will agree. It doesn’t mean that they’re getting $10 million, or whatever was just read a few minutes ago. It just means that you can apply,” he told lawmakers during a Capitol Hill appearance.

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges in 2024, including three felony and six misdemeanor counts related to unpaid taxes. Biden was also convicted that year on three separate federal felony charges related to a firearm purchase while addicted to illegal drugs.

By the end of the year, as his father was about to leave the White House, Biden received a sweeping pardon that covered any offenses he may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. Hunter Biden was given a “full and unconditional pardon” just before he faced sentencing on the convictions.

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“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process, and it led to a miscarriage of justice — and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” then-President Joe Biden said in a statement defending the pardon of his son. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

Frieda Powers
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