Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued an order on Sunday officially rescinding the controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund removing the final obstacle to his confirmation as permanent Attorney General. The move came two days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on his nomination ending a weeks-long standoff between the Trump administration and two key Republican senators.
The fund which was part of a settlement agreement stemming from a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed against the IRS, had faced intense criticism. Critics expressed concern that the payouts could extend to participants in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, including those convicted of assaulting police officers. The settlement had also shielded the Trump family from tax audits.
Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) had made clear they would not support Blanche unless he provided written assurance that the fund would be scrapped and that the IRS settlement would be strictly retroactive. Cornyn stated he did not want the fund or the settlement’s anti-weaponization provisions to be used to reward Trump supporters.
Blanche posted on X that the fund was rescinded and would have “no force or effect” adding: “This order establishes beyond any doubt that there is no fund.” The order also clarified that the tax audit immunity agreement “applies by its terms only retroactively” to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.
The deal has cleared the path for Blanche to advance through the Judiciary Committee, though he is still expected to face opposition in the full Senate. President Trump had threatened to “push hard” to revive the fund if Blanche was not confirmed but this agreement appears to have secured his path forward.
