Key senators say they’ll back Blanche after he formally rescinds Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Aug. 3 (UPI) — Two key Republican senators said Monday that they’ll support Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general now that he’s formally rescinded President Donald Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund.

Sens. Thom Tillis, R-NC, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a joint statement that they “look forward to voting to advance [Blanche’s] nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.”

Blanche, who is acting attorney general, announced late Sunday that he formally rescinded Trump’s so-called anti-weaponization fund. He has said previously that the fund was “dead” but would not put that in writing.

“The attorney general’s May 18, 2026, order establishing the Anti-Weaponization Fund is rescinded and shall have no force or effect,” said the order Blanche published on social media Sunday.

Blanche’s order also has an effect on an addendum to the order establishing the fund that gives Trump, his sons and their businesses immunity from Internal Revenue service investigations, although it is unclear about that effect.

It says it “applies by its terms only retroactively” and that it is the Department of Justice’s “interpretation that the order only has any effect, including on any release of claims, on the named parties in the lawsuit referenced in the order.”

However, the order released Sunday was signed by Blanche but not by Trump or his lawyers. The IRS statement was not signed at all.

As part of their statement, Cornyn and Tillis said they were “pleased” that the Justice Department had “acknowledged in a binding written order that the audit settlement is limited to the plaintiffs and the scope does not extend beyond the defendants in the lawsuit, the IRS and the Treasury.”

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticized Cornyn and Tillis’ reversal on the matter Monday, saying Blanche’s memo won’t stop the Trump administration from bringing back the fund whenever it want or “prevent payouts to violent insurrectionists in the future.”

He said it also “leaves in place a tax-immunity deal that could help Trump skip taxes on the $2.3 billion he made last year, and still leaves it vague who and what is covered.”

Republicans had postponed a vote on Blanche’s nomination meeting when it became known that they did not have the votes because of Cornyn and Tillis’ opposition.

On Saturday, Trump lashed out at the two GOP senators and said he would ask Congress to appropriate the $1.776 billion to create the fund.

“It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done,” Trump said online.

Responding to the statement, Tillis said it was proof that Trump intended 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.”

“It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal,” Tillis said.

The fund was part of a settlement Trump’s lawyers reached with the Trump administration’s IRS to resolve a $10 billion lawsuit the president and his two oldest sons filed against the government for damages caused by a since-convicted-and -imprisoned contractor who leaked his tax returns for 2019 and 2020 to news organizations.

“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding issues,” Blanche, Trump’s personal lawyer, said in a statement.

“We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of congress.”

Trump, who is widely criticized over allegations of weaponizing the government, has repeatedly claimed to be the victim of government weaponization by the Biden administration.

The $1.776 billion fund was intended to compensate people, with taxpayer money, who claim to be similarly victimized by the previous Justice Department. This could potentially include those convicted of offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection attack on the Capitol. More than 1,500 Jan. 6 convicts were pardoned by Trump on his first day back in office.