Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Ends Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund After Jan. 6 Capitol Assaults

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers that the Justice Department will not move forward with President Donald Trump's "anti-weaponization" fund, which could have paid people convicted of assaulting police during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

USA TODAY reported that the DOJ said in a statement June 1 it would abide by a judge's ruling that put a temporary pause on the fund ahead of a June 12 court hearing.

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Blanche said during his congressional testimony, "We are not moving forward with the fund, period," and CBS News reported he added, "Correct," when asked whether it would not move forward ever.

CBS News also said the fund was aimed to provide taxpayer-funded payouts to individuals who alleged the federal government had been "weaponized" against them, and it described the program as a major obstacle to the GOP agenda in Congress.

CBS News described Rep. Grace Meng of New York asking Blanche whether he would put the commitment in writing, and it quoted Blanche responding, "Why do I need to put something in writing if I'm telling you what we're doing?"

In the same hearing coverage, CBS News said Meng followed up again and that Blanche declined to commit to put anything in writing, while Democracy Forward CEO Skye Perryman said, "If you can say it on TV, you should say it in court."

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Democracy Now! said the fund was expected to reward President Donald Trump’s supporters, including those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and it described the fund as a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.

Democracy Now! also quoted Blanche explaining the reasons for the fund, saying, "we are not moving forward with the fund," after he referenced people who had their government "weaponized" against them.

Democracy Now! said District Court Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami ordered the case reopened after 35 former federal judges filed a motion alleging the settlement may have been a fraud on the court and a product of collusion.

It added that the president’s attorneys have until June 12th to respond, while Democracy Now! quoted Nancy Gertner saying, "What happened in this case was, essentially, Trump was suing himself."

USA TODAY reported that the fund was created as part of a settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit Trump and his two oldest sons filed against the IRS, alleging the agency failed to protect their tax returns, and it said the DOJ statement June 1 said it would abide by the judge's temporary pause.

CBS News said Blanche told Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut that the rest of the settlement between the IRS and Trump remains in place, including the government's agreement to refrain from auditing any of the president or his family's previous tax returns, and it quoted Blanche saying, "It's not moving forward. There's a settlement," he replied.