President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to move forward with a fund intended to compensate his allies if two Republican senators do not support his nominee for attorney general, injecting uncertainty into a Senate confirmation vote scheduled for next week. Trump asserted in a post on his Truth Social platform that he would keep acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his role and press ahead with the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" if Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina refuse to back Blanche, a former federal prosecutor.
The administration requires the votes of both senators for Blanche's confirmation. However, both lawmakers have voiced objections to Blanche's selection due to a lawsuit settlement that established a $1.8 billion fund to compensate individuals who believe they were mistreated by the criminal justice system and granted Trump and his family members immunity from tax audits.
Earlier on Friday, Trump had declared the fund "dead," and negotiations were ongoing. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, had rescheduled a committee vote for Blanche that had been postponed earlier in the week. A spokesperson for the committee stated that Grassley wishes to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess, and placing the vote on the calendar "gives more time for the White House to secure the votes for the President’s nominee."
However, by Saturday morning, these plans were jeopardized by Trump's announcement. The president stated that if Cornyn and Tillis "aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche... to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard” to restore the fund. Trump reiterated his stance that the fund "takes care of those who have been so badly treated" under the administrations of Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Tillis, who is retiring at the end of his term, responded to Trump's statement, suggesting that Trump "clearly intends 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." He added, "It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal. Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday."
Blanche had stated during a hearing two months prior that the anti-weaponization fund would not proceed after Republican senators opposed it and held up an immigration funding bill. Tillis and Cornyn have indicated they want assurances that the White House will not change course, especially with Trump continuing to advocate for the fund.
According to a document reviewed by The Associated Press, the Department of Justice has provided the senators with language stating that Blanche’s May 18 order establishing the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is "rescinded and shall have no force or effect." Cornyn and Tillis have also requested clarifications on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and his family immunity from tax audits, which Cornyn stated could extend to over 100 Trump organization subsidiaries.
"Todd Blanche said it was limited to the parties to the litigation — and it was retrospective, not prospective," Cornyn said. "And all we’re doing is asking them to put that in writing."