Attorney general nominee Todd Blanche says Trump ‘slush fund’ is officially dead

Attorney general nominee Todd Blanche says Trump ‘slush fund’ is officially dead The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Blanche’s confirmation on Tuesday - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche released a memo late on Sunday evening saying that President Donald Trump’s proposed “anti-weaponization fund” is officially dead. The announcement comes before the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Blanche’s confirmation Tuesday. Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who both sit on the committee, have pushed Blanche to declare the anti-weaponization fund to be dead. The Department of Justice had announced the creation of the “anti-weaponization fund” in May for people that the Trump administration who had been targeted by the Biden and Obama administrations as part of a settlement with the IRS. The Department of Justice also announced that the IRS would not audit Trump, his family or his companies. But almost immediately, Republican senators criticized the creation of the fund, which they feared would go to people found guilty of assaulting police officers during the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol. “Although the Acting Attorney General has repeatedly advised Congress throughout testimony, including under oath, as well as in written responses that the Fund is not moving forward, and the Department has repeatedly represented to district courts that the fund is not moving forward, today’s order officiall rescinds the May 18, 2026 order,” the memo reads. That appeared to be enough for Cornyn, one of the major holdouts. “Sen. Cornyn has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice, which will be issuing a formal order permanently terminating the anti-weaponization fund and making clear in a binding written document that the scope of the audit settlement is limited to only the plaintiffs, including the President, and the IRS,” Cornyn spokesperson Natalie Yezbick said in a statement to The Independent. Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee, has grilled Blanche about the nature of the IRS settlement during his confirmation hearing last month. But as late as Friday, Trump defended the need for the fund to compensate people, whom he said were still suffering. “They are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them,” the president said on Truth Social. “I will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure, their lives have been ruined!” That prompted Tillis, who is retiring at the end of the year, to criticize Trump’s plans in an X post. “Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against,” Tillis said. “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal,” Tillis added. “Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.” Blanche, the president’s former personal attorney who became deputy attorney general, became deputy attorney general last year. When Trump dismissed Attorney General Pam Bondi, Blanche became acting attorney general. Senate Republicans hope to wrap up the confirmation before they head out for the August recess later this year. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments