Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally withdrawn President Donald Trump's controversial plan for a fund that could have been used to compensate individuals prosecuted following the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. The move paves the way for Blanche's confirmation by U.S. senators to his position on a permanent basis.
Two Republican senators had withheld support for Blanche's permanent appointment, seeking written guarantees that Trump would not revive the proposal. They had reportedly not been sufficiently satisfied by previous verbal assurances.
Blanche stated in a post on X that he had "met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions." Attached to his post was a copy of a written order explicitly stating, "This Order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund."
The proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponisation" fund was announced earlier this year as part of a settlement to a lawsuit filed by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) concerning the leak of his tax returns. The plan would have permitted Trump allies to seek compensation for what they described as politically motivated prosecutions by prior administrations.
Concerns also arose regarding a provision that appeared to shield the president, his family, and their businesses from IRS audits of past tax returns. The holdout senators reportedly sought to narrow the scope of this immunity.
Blanche addressed these concerns in a second post on X, clarifying the language related to IRS immunity. The proposed fund and the tax audit provision had drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, who voiced alarm that it could lead to payments for individuals prosecuted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, including those convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers.
Following public backlash and concerns raised by a federal judge, who blocked the fund and cited potential ethical guideline breaches, Blanche abandoned the plan.