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Todd Blanche Rescinds Anti-Weaponization Fund to Secure Senate Support for Attorney General Nomination

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a formal order Sunday night to rescind the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, satisfying demands from key Republican senators to advance his permanent nomination as Attorney General. The fund, which was created as part of a settlement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service, was criticized for its potential to compensate Jan. 6 rioters and allies of the president. Sensors John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who threatened to block the nomination, expressed satisfaction with the administration's move to legally terminate the fund and clarify that tax audit immunity for the Trump family applies only retroactively to the named parties in the lawsuit. While the administration announced the fund is officially dead, some legal experts suggest the fund could still be revived in the future without a new agreement. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Blanche's nomination on Tuesday. Despite the concessions, the administration maintains that the settlement provides a significant personal financial benefit for President Donald Trump, who previously defended the fund as a necessary reimbursement for those whose lives were allegedly destroyed by the Jan. 6 attack.

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