Senate Republicans Left Unsatisfied By DOJ’s Promise To ‘Abide By’ Court Ruling Temporarily Blocking Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’

Senate Republicans are quickly dismissing the Justice Department’s pledge to “abide by” a court ruling which temporarily halts the implementation of President Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund” — a $1.776 billion pool of money which could be used to reward the president’s allies. Lawmakers on Monday night said that they need a concrete solution to ensure that public money is not used to pay off criminals. Mr. Trump established the “anti-weaponization fund” as part of his settlement with the IRS. A former federal prosecutor quickly sued to stop its implementation, leading a federal judge in Virginia to put a pause on the establishment of the fund’s board of commissioners and the ensuing disbursement of money. The fig leaf offered by the DOJ to Republican senators worried about the fund was just to promise that it would honor the judge’s temporary order. The court order is only in place until June 12, however. After the DOJ put out its statement, several top Republican senators were incredibly direct with reporters, saying that they needed more than what the administration was offering. “The only thing that’s gonna solve this problem — to get immigration funded and law enforced — is for the president to do away with the weaponization fund,” the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley, told reporters at the Capitol on Monday. “If the administration has changed its position on the weaponization fund, they should say so definitively,” Senator John Kennedy added. He says the bill meant to fund immigration enforcement — which may also include a ban on the anti-weaponization fund and a reduction in money for the president’s ballroom — “looks like a broken arm with the bone sticking out.”One of Mr. Trump’s closest allies on the Hill, Senator Lindsey Graham, also says he does not believe that the payout cache as currently constituted does not really make sense. “I like the idea of people getting relief who are abused, but I don’t know if this is the right time or the right vehicle,” Mr. Graham told reporters. Mr. Graham himself has said he wants to sue the government after his phone records were accessed as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack. When asked by the New York Sun if he would want money from the anti-weaponization fund, Mr. Graham dodged and said with a laugh, “Well, I’m gonna sue somebody.”Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, told Deseret News that the DOJ’s pledge to adhere to one temporary court order is not enough to assuage his concerns. “That’s not enough for me, because what if the temporary order changes?” he said. The Senate majority leader, Senator John Thune, did not seem terribly optimistic that the DOJ’s pledge on Monday would be enough to keep his colleagues on board for the immigration enforcement bill. “I think anything [the administration] says on top of what the DOJ said is helpful, but, I mean, I think the statement they made shuts it down. We’ll find out,” he said before walking on to the floor.”As he left the building the Sun asked if he worries that the president would veto the immigration enforcement bill if it includes a provision to nix the anti-weaponization fund. “Oh, yeah. Don’t you?” he said with a laugh.

Senate Republicans Left Unsatisfied By DOJ’s Promise To ‘Abide By’ Court Ruling Temporarily Blocking Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’

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