A US judge on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from setting up a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of what Trump has called government “weaponisation."

The order by US District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia blocks the Trump administration from "taking any further action" to set up or operate the fund while the judge hears additional legal arguments.

The Justice Department announced the creation of an "Anti-Weaponization Fund" last week as part of an agreement to settle Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax records.