The top lawyer at the Treasury Department and a Donald Trump appointee, resigned abruptly immediately after the announcement of the controversial $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” settlement.
Brian Morrissey resigned as Treasury general counsel on Monday, May 18, 2026, hours after the fund was announced. Trump nominated the lawyer to the post last year before the Senate confirmed him in October 2025. He served just seven months in the role.
Before his nomination, Morrissey served as the principal deputy general counsel at the Treasury Department and as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, according to The Hill. He was also a former partner at Sidley Austin.
Disgusted by Trump’s $1.7 billion theft of taxpayer money, treasury dept. general counsel Brian Morrissey has resigned. Trump plans to use the money to bribe Jan. 6 terrorists, who’ll be used as his private militia — tasked to help Trump rig the 2026 midterm elections by… pic.twitter.com/wlfh1gUOM2
— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) May 19, 2026
Morrissey’s exit came shortly after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the launch of a $1.776 billion fund as a settlement in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leak of his tax returns during his first term.
The fund will serve as a “formal apologies” and provide payouts to people who allege they were wrongfully targeted by the former President Joe Biden’s administration. This group could also include nearly 1600 people who were charged over the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
The fund will receive the money from the federal Judgment Fund — a permanent appropriation requiring no congressional approval. A five-member commission appointed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will disburse payments, while recipients and amounts remain confidential.
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” AG Blanche said in a statement on Monday.
A $1.776 BILLION federal fund is being created for Americans who say they were politically targeted by the government.
The DOJ agreed to launch the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of a settlement after President Trump and his sons sued the IRS for $10 billion over alleged… pic.twitter.com/R4fZTE6WMu
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 19, 2026
It should be noted that Trump himself is a plaintiff in the underlying lawsuit — meaning he effectively sued a government he controls.
The settlement has sparked bipartisan criticism. Nearly 100 House Democrats filed an amicus brief seeking to block it on constitutional grounds, reports The Daily Beast.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, blasted the settlement, calling it “pure fraud and highway robbery.”
Raskin said that no one could be both the plaintiff and defendant in the same case, and that no president could create a “fake” $10 billion in damages case against the government just to act as both sides and settle it himself. He added that this was not a genuine constitutional case and claimed that Trump’s DOJ was not arguing against it because it was part of the “scam.”
$1.8 billion DOJ “Anti-Weaponization Fund” facing backlash, warning individuals connected to Jan. 6 eligible for compensation.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, it’s a “slush fund” &
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics,“one of the most controversial uses of public funds in recent memory” pic.twitter.com/pJ8IYh2hSw— America Connected (@margicc) May 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Morrissey has not yet made a public statement about his resignation. A Treasury spokesperson confirmed the attorney’s departure to The Hill on Tuesday.
“As General Counsel, Brian Morrissey has served the United States Treasury with both honor and integrity. We wish him all the best in his next endeavors,” they said.
The New York Times reported that Morrissey thanked Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in his resignation letter.
