Ally of DOJ pardon attorney seeks to join board of Trump's $1.7+ billion fund

By May 20, 2026 / 7:12 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A Republican lawyer and close ally of Ed Martin, the U.S. pardon attorney, has submitted a request to the Justice Department to join a panel that will dispense over $1.7 billion to people who claim they were victims of legal "weaponization," according to a letter obtained by CBS News.

Ally of DOJ pardon attorney seeks to join board of Trump's $1.7+ billion fund. By May 20, 2026 / 7:12 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A Republican lawyer and close ally of Ed Martin, the U.S. pardon attorney, has submitted a request to the Justice Department to join a panel that will dispense over $1.7 billion to people who claim they were victims of legal "weaponization," according to a letter obtained by CBS News. On Wednesday evening, lawyer Mike Howell said in a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that he wished to "declare my candidacy for one of the five member positions on the anti-weaponization fund." Blanche is responsible for appointing the members of the commission overseeing the fund , according to a memo he signed this week. The fund was announced Monday as part of the DOJ's settlement of a $10 billion law...