Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro turned a public appearance before a large crowd into a sharp attack on President Donald Trump, accusing the White House of using federal power to protect the president’s allies, his family and people connected to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The governor’s remarks came after the Trump administration’s Department of Justice reached a settlement tied to Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department.
The case centered on the alleged 2019 leak of Trump’s tax records, which Trump and members of his family said caused major financial and reputational damage.
Instead of continuing to pursue the full amount in court, Trump dropped the lawsuit. In return, the administration created a nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund”.
This program is described by officials as a way to compensate people who claim they were targeted by politically motivated prosecutions under earlier administrations.
To critics, however, the settlement is something far more troubling.
Democrats, ethics watchdogs and legal experts have warned that the deal may allow a sitting president to resolve a personal claim against the government he now controls while also creating a taxpayer-funded pool of money that could benefit his political supporters.
Shapiro made that point directly as he stood before supporters in Pennsylvania, framing the settlement as part of a wider pattern of conduct by the Trump administration.
“And now, think about the unmatched corruption of this president and his administration. They have built a government whose entire goal seems to be to help enrich his friends, his donors, and his own family, and then shield them all from paying the price for their illegal conduct,” Shapiro said.
The fund, formally valued at $1.776 billion, includes a process for people who describe themselves as “victims of lawfare and weaponization” to seek payouts or official apologies.
It also includes protections that prevent the U.S. government from further examining or prosecuting Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization over certain tax-related matters.
That provision has become one of the most controversial parts of the agreement. Opponents argue it gives the appearance that Trump used the machinery of government to settle his own legal problems and protect his family from future scrutiny.
Some legal experts have raised questions about conflicts of interest and whether the arrangement could run into constitutional concerns, including issues tied to the Domestic Emoluments Clause.
The settlement also created alarm because of who may be allowed to apply for money. Among the possible applicants are many of the roughly 1,600 people charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Many of those individuals have already been pardoned by Trump.
Shapiro leaned heavily into that point, reminding the crowd that Trump began his second term by pardoning people involved in the Capitol riot.
“It started on day one, you remember, when he pardoned those who broke the law and assaulted cops in the Capitol on January 6th,” Shapiro said.
He then accused the administration of going even further by using public money to reward people who broke the law.
“Just yesterday, we learned that he would continue whitewashing history by using your money to pay those who broke the law and betrayed our country from a new illegal billion dollar fund that he fleeced from the American taxpayer,” Shapiro said.
“Somehow, now, he can’t find the money to pay for health care, but he can steal from you to pay off the criminals who stormed the Capitol. It’s shameful.”
Shapiro: Somehow, he can’t find the money to pay for healthcare, but he can steal from you to pay off the criminals who stormed the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/plUrTLm73x
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 20, 2026
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has defended the fund, calling it “unusual but not unprecedented” and saying claims will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. But that explanation has not cooled the backlash.
Vice President JD Vance and other administration figures have also declined to fully rule out payments to people convicted of assaulting police officers on January 6, adding more fuel to the dispute.
For Democrats, the settlement has quickly become a symbol of what they say is unchecked executive power. House Democrats have demanded congressional oversight, while ethics groups have described the arrangement as dangerous because it could set a precedent for future presidents to use federal settlements for personal or political benefit.
Supporters of Trump see the matter differently.
They argue the fund is a form of restitution for people they believe were unfairly targeted by political prosecutions, investigations or government actions. Online, especially on X, formerly Twitter, reaction to Shapiro’s speech and the DOJ settlement spread rapidly, with long comment threads showing deep disagreement.
Most users praised Shapiro’s words as a clear warning about corruption, while others defended Trump and described the fund as accountability for years of partisan abuse.
Imagine for a minute if on the evening of Jan. 6th or 7th, someone would have told you this guy would be reelected, pardon the mob, then financially reimburse them to the tune of millions.
Try to imagine how you would’ve felt.
— RandyNYC (@_jazzlife) May 20, 2026
Another user blames the Congress for doing nothing to stop.
The corruption is astounding. The spineless Congress just look the other way pic.twitter.com/nIomZJRu0w
— Joe Chico (@Chico8857) May 20, 2026
Another user asks the media not to refer to the issue as a ‘settlement’.
Dear MEDIA STOP CALLING THIS A SETTLEMENT – IT IS NOT. The $1.7 billion DOJ "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is NOT a settlement. Trump’s $10B IRS lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed after the judge questioned whether the case was truly adversarial – since Trump now controls the…
— Chris Porter (💙-check) (@ChrisPorter22) May 20, 2026
Shapiro, a former attorney general, sought to cast himself as someone familiar with public corruption and the duty to apply the law evenly.
“I know corruption when I see it,” he said.
“As your Attorney General, I prosecuted those who broke the law, who stole from taxpayers, and I applied the law without fear or favor.”
He also tied the issue to Pennsylvania’s role in national politics, portraying the state as a place with the power to resist what he called chaos, cruelty and corruption coming from Washington.
“Here in our Commonwealth, we have the power to rein in the chaos, the cruelty and the corruption of this administration and chart a better path forward for our Commonwealth and for the citizens of this country,” Shapiro told the crowd.
His speech added another push to the fight over the DOJ settlement, a fight that now touches Trump’s personal legal history, January 6, taxpayer money and the limits of presidential authority. In a divided country, Pennsylvania once again appears positioned near the center of the storm.
