Justice Department ends Trump administration’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the Justice Department will not proceed with the ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, a $1.8 billion program created during the Trump administration.
The Justice Department has officially decided to end the Trump administration’s anti-weaponization fund, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed during testimony on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. “We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche said. This marks the clearest statement yet from the Justice Department, which had previously only committed to temporarily pausing the fund following a federal judge’s order. The $1.8 billion fund was created to resolve former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS and was designed to compensate Americans who claimed they were unfairly targeted by the government. It potentially included Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The fund faced bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill, stalling a Republican bill aimed at funding immigration enforcement agencies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Blanche’s testimony might help move the stalled legislation forward, but added, “I couldn’t guarantee it.” Democrats argue that a promise to end the fund is insufficient and are calling for Congress to explicitly ban it. When asked whether Republicans would support such a ban, Thune did not commit to a position.
The Justice Department has officially decided to end the Trump administration’s anti-weaponization fund, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed during testimony on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche said.
This marks the clearest statement yet from the Justice Department, which had previously only committed to temporarily pausing the fund following a federal judge’s order.
The $1.8 billion fund was created to resolve former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS and was designed to compensate Americans who claimed they were unfairly targeted by the government. It potentially included Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The fund faced bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill, stalling a Republican bill aimed at funding immigration enforcement agencies.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Blanche’s testimony might help move the stalled legislation forward, but added, “I couldn’t guarantee it.”
Democrats argue that a promise to end the fund is insufficient and are calling for Congress to explicitly ban it.
When asked whether Republicans would support such a ban, Thune did not commit to a position.
