Did Trump ever say loyalty comes before the law? Fact-checking remarks about Justice Department’s $8 billion anti-weaponization fund

The fund was established “in exchange” for Trump and his co-plaintiffs to drop IRS lawsuits and other damage claims stemming from the 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid and the Russia collusion scandal, according to Justice Department officials. The fund would also provide a way for rioters who were pardoned by Trump on January 6 to receive compensation from taxpayers for government overreach.

The fund can also issue a “formal apology” to those who file such claims against the government and will stop processing claims until Dec. 15, 2028, about a month before the end of Trump’s second term, according to Justice Department officials.

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The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by protesters is often seen as a stain on the nation’s democratic fabric. Given the provision for J6 people in Department of Justice funds, a reporter asked President Trump “Why should taxpayers foot the bill for January 6th people?”

Some posts on X were shared claiming Trump’s response was “Because in my world, loyalty trumps the law. They broke the rules for me so you pay for them. That’s the deal.”

California Rep. Jimmy Gomez also shared the video, juxtaposed with footage of J6ers wreaking havoc, and wrote “Because in Trump’s world, loyalty trumps the law. They broke the rules for him, and now we pay for it.”

The alleged response drew criticism online. “That’s why he’s going to great lengths to prevent the Trump-Epstein documents from being released and investigated so that no one is held accountable,” one person said. wrote. other additional “Does he know he sounds like a dictator here? This is ridiculous. No, if not. Trump and his friends are not above the law. What is happening and why are we letting this happen?!”

In response, Trump can be heard saying: “I know very little about it. I was not involved in the entire creation and negotiation of it. It’s compensating people who were treated horribly. It’s counter-weaponization. They were weaponized and, in some cases, they were wrongfully imprisoned. They paid legal fees that they didn’t have. They went bankrupt. Their lives were destroyed. And as a result they were, yeah, I mean, it was a terrible time in our country’s history.”

The statement about loyalty being more important than the law appears to be due to a caption Gomez’s representative added to his video. The phrase was subsequently repeated multiple times on X, albeit via unverified profiles.

To be sure, despite the amplification of his remarks, Trump did not make any “loyalty above the law” remarks.