Trump Threatens to Revive Anti-Weaponization Fund as Blanche Nomination Stalls

President Trump on Saturday threatened to revive a controversial $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and keep Todd Blanche as acting attorney general indefinitely, as the confirmation of his nominee for the permanent role remains blocked by two Republican senators.The standoff centers on Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both of whom have withheld support for Mr. Blanche’s confirmation over concerns about the fund. The Senate Judiciary Committee had been scheduled to vote on Mr. Blanche’s nomination Thursday but that was postponed after the two senators refused to advance it. In a Saturday post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump issued a pointed warning to the two senators.“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED,” Trump wrote. “Todd Blanche was a voice of reason! It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done.”The fund was created through a DOJ settlement with the IRS and Treasury Department as part of the case “President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service,” in which Mr. Trump and his family sued over the leak of their tax returns. The $1.776 billion fund was intended to compensate individuals who claim they were wrongly targeted by the federal government. However, following legal criticism that the executive branch lacked the authority to establish such a program without congressional approval, the DOJ announced it would not move forward with the fund.Both Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Tillis have demanded written confirmation that the fund is dead before supporting Mr. Blanche’s confirmation. Mr. Trump, just one day earlier on Friday, publicly acknowledged for the first time that the fund is “dead” — though he made clear he wished it were not.“Well, it is dead, but you know I wish it weren’t, to be honest with you,” Mr. Trump said at a Cabinet meeting at Camp David. “I think people were horribly treated, horribly abused … and I’d like to see them compensated for the pain.”Mr. Tillis responded sharply on X to Mr. Trump’s Saturday remarks, calling the fund a “payout pot for punks.”“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,” Mr. Tillis wrote. “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal. Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.”Mr. Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has led the DOJ since April, following the departure of former Attorney General Pam Bondi. The committee, chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, has rescheduled the vote for Tuesday.

Trump Threatens to Revive Anti-Weaponization Fund as Blanche Nomination Stalls

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