AP Top Story Wire
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Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of Trump supporters are suing to block anyone — including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters — from receiving payouts from a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The officers’ attorneys filed the federal lawsuit on Wednesday, a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund’s creation during a congressional hearing. Blanche, a personal attorney for President Donald Trump before joining the Justice Department, wouldn’t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 would be eligible for fund payouts.