Trump Defends $1.8 Billion Fund as Todd Blanche Nomination Stalls/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump defended a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund as Republican opposition continued delaying Todd Blanche’s confirmation. Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are demanding written assurances that the Justice Department will abandon the fund and narrow a separate IRS audit-protection agreement. The senators reportedly moved closer to a deal after meeting Blanche, but Trump’s continued support for the fund complicates those negotiations.
Quick Look
- Trump called for Blanche’s immediate confirmation.
- Blanche is serving as acting attorney general.
- Cornyn and Tillis are withholding support.
- Both senators leave office in early January.
- They want written confirmation that the fund will not proceed.
- The proposed fund is valued at $1.8 billion.
- Critics call it a taxpayer-funded reward for Trump supporters.
- The fund formed part of a settlement of Trump’s IRS lawsuit.
- Trump’s lawsuit sought $10 billion.
- The proposal was placed on hold after Republican opposition.
- Cornyn and Tillis also oppose broad IRS audit protections.
- Blanche met the two senators Thursday.
- He has also met Republican Sen. John Curtis.
- Trump said the fund would not benefit him personally.
- Blanche could continue serving in an acting capacity without confirmation.
- The nomination must remain pending and not be withdrawn or formally rejected for that route to remain available under the circumstances described.
Deep Look
Trump urges Senate to confirm Blanche
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump renewed his demand Friday for the Senate to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general while defending a controversial $1.8 billion fund that has helped stall the nomination.
“Todd Blanche, a good man, should be immediately approved as U.S. Attorney General,” Trump wrote in a social media post, one day after threatening to withdraw the nomination until next year after two key opposing senators leave office.
Blanche currently serves as acting attorney general.
His effort to receive permanent confirmation has stalled because Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina continue demanding changes and written guarantees concerning Trump’s legal settlement with the Justice Department.
Trump continues supporting disputed fund
Trump also defended the proposed “anti-weaponization” program despite efforts by Republican senators to ensure that it is not created.
He argues that the government should compensate people who were unfairly targeted by federal authorities.
“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!”
The president’s statement conflicts with the political message senators want from the administration.
Cornyn and Tillis are seeking a clear written declaration that the Justice Department will not implement the fund.
Fund valued at $1.8 billion
The proposed program would contain approximately $1.8 billion.
It was developed as part of a broader legal settlement resolving Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
Trump sued over the alleged mishandling and disclosure of his tax information.
The settlement included both the proposed compensation fund and protections involving IRS audits of Trump and his associates.
Congressional opposition forced the administration to place the fund on hold.
Critics describe proposal as slush fund
Trump’s critics have characterized the proposed program as a slush fund that could distribute taxpayer money to his political supporters.
They question who would qualify as a victim of government weaponization, how claims would be evaluated and who would control payments.
Without narrow eligibility standards, critics fear the fund could reward people based on political loyalty rather than documented legal harm.
The supplied report did not describe the proposed application process, evidentiary requirements or independent oversight.
Those unanswered questions have contributed to bipartisan concern.
January 6 defendants could benefit
The fund could potentially compensate Trump allies who say the federal government targeted them unfairly over their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump supporters entered the Capitol after his 2020 election loss as Congress met to certify the result.
Numerous participants were later prosecuted for conduct ranging from unlawful entry to violent attacks against police and other serious offenses.
Some defendants and their supporters have portrayed those cases as politically motivated.
The proposed fund could allow at least some of them to seek federal compensation, depending on its final eligibility rules.
Cornyn seeks formal commitment
Cornyn said Thursday that he was waiting for the Justice Department to put its assurances in writing.
Department officials and Blanche have said the fund will not move forward.
Cornyn has not treated those verbal statements as sufficient.
Trump’s repeated public support makes the senator concerned that the proposal could be revived later.
A written commitment could provide stronger political accountability and a clearer basis for Congress to challenge any future attempt to establish the program.
Tillis also withholds support
Tillis has joined Cornyn in holding up Blanche’s nomination.
The two Republicans are strategically important because Democratic senators oppose Blanche and a single Republican defection on the Judiciary Committee could prevent the nomination from advancing.
Their Senate terms end in early January.
Trump has suggested that he could withdraw Blanche’s nomination temporarily and submit it again after both senators leave office.
That strategy would avoid concessions but could create additional confirmation uncertainty next year.
Negotiators reportedly move closer
Cornyn and Tillis met Blanche late Thursday afternoon.
The discussions brought the parties closer to an agreement, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
The person spoke anonymously because the talks were private.
The supplied report did not identify the revised language being considered or whether the White House had approved it.
Trump’s Friday statements may complicate progress by demonstrating that he continues supporting the fund’s purpose.
Blanche meets another Republican senator
Blanche has also met with Republican Sen. John Curtis.
Curtis’ involvement suggests that concerns may extend beyond Cornyn and Tillis.
Cornyn previously warned Trump that objections to the settlement were not limited to the two public holdouts.
If additional Republicans demand changes, waiting until Cornyn and Tillis leave may not guarantee confirmation.
The administration must determine whether it can secure enough votes without formally abandoning parts of the settlement.
IRS audit protections create second dispute
The “anti-weaponization” fund is not the only issue delaying the nomination.
Cornyn and Tillis also object to an IRS agreement protecting Trump and his associates from tax audits.
The senators want the protections limited to parties named in the original lawsuit and tax returns already filed.
They oppose language that could prevent the IRS from examining future filings.
A continuing audit exemption could give Trump and related parties tax protections unavailable to ordinary Americans.
Settlement raises self-dealing concerns
Trump negotiated the legal settlement with a Justice Department controlled by his administration.
Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer before taking a senior role in the department.
Those relationships have prompted allegations that the president used government power to secure personal legal and financial benefits.
The administration argues that the settlement resolved legitimate claims arising from the mishandling of Trump’s confidential tax information.
The confirmation dispute now serves as a Senate test of whether Republicans will accept the agreement without formal limits.
Trump says fund would not benefit him
Trump said Friday that he would not receive money from the proposed program.
He described its intended beneficiaries as supporters who had suffered unjust government treatment.
The president referred to the program in the present tense, saying it “will not benefit me, but rather the great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed.”
That phrasing may reinforce senators’ fears that Trump considers the fund active or intends to revive it.
It also suggests a potential class of recipients based on the president’s political assessment of federal prosecutions.
Blanche may not need confirmation
The stalled nomination may have limited immediate effect on Blanche’s practical authority.
He can continue serving as acting attorney general while his nomination remains pending before the Senate, under the circumstances described in the Reuters report.
That arrangement could continue for a substantial period if the Senate neither confirms nor formally rejects him.
Blanche was also confirmed previously as deputy attorney general, the department’s second-ranking position.
The deputy normally oversees the Justice Department’s daily operations and can perform the attorney general’s duties when the top office is vacant.
Withdrawal could change acting status
Trump’s threat to withdraw the nomination creates a potential complication.
The Reuters report said an acting official can continue while the nomination remains pending and is neither formally rejected nor withdrawn.
If Trump removes Blanche’s nomination, the administration may need to rely on his authority as deputy attorney general or another succession mechanism.
The precise effect would depend on federal vacancy law and the formal steps taken by the White House and Senate.
Trump has not yet withdrawn Blanche’s name.
Administration faces difficult choice
The president can provide the guarantees Cornyn and Tillis want, continue negotiating narrower language or attempt to wait until the senators leave office.
A compromise could allow Blanche’s nomination to advance but require Trump to limit a settlement he continues defending publicly.
Refusing concessions could prolong the confirmation fight while keeping Blanche in temporary control of the department.
The dispute now involves more than one nomination.
It has become a test of how far Senate Republicans will challenge Trump over his use of government authority for matters involving himself and his supporters.
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