Trump says he will ‘push hard’ for Anti-Weaponization Fund if GOP senators block Blanche nomination
by Mary McCue Bell · The Washington TimesPresident Trump threatened to gear up for another attempt to implement his Anti-Weaponization Fund if skeptical GOP senators don’t approve Todd Blanche as attorney general.
The president called out Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina on Saturday over their reluctance to advance Mr. Blanche’s nomination due to their request for concrete assurances that the fund is dead.
If both Republican lawmakers don’t approve Mr. Blanche, the president said he’ll keep him as acting attorney general and “push hard” to enact legislation that would offer payouts to people “who have been so badly treated” by the Obama and Biden administrations.
“It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done,” he said on Truth Social, referring to what he called the Anti-Weaponization Bill.
Mr. Tillis quickly jumped ship from any progress to advance the nomination.
“Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President 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,” the senator wrote on social media. “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal.”
Mr. Cornyn did not directly respond to Mr. Trump’s threats, but he reposted others who defended his concerns.
The Anti-Weaponization Fund is a $1.776 billion payout intended to compensate people who Mr. Trump claims were politically targeted. The money was originally part of his legal settlement with the IRS.
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Some lawmakers aired out fears that the fund could be used to reward those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The president publicly stated that the payout is “dead,” although he added he wishes it were not, undercutting Mr. Blanche’s assurances as Senate confirmation votes stalled.
A federal judge blocked the fund and demanded formal, sworn written declarations that it was permanently canceled, which the Justice Department declined to officially submit.
The Senate Judiciary Committee was supposed to vote on advancing Mr. Blanche’s nomination on Thursday, but it was postponed and rescheduled due to the two Republicans’ concerns.
For him to be confirmed, at least one of the two GOP holdouts would need to vote yes, since both sit on the committee. If Mr. Blanche can clear the committee, the Senate should have enough time to confirm him before departing for August recess.
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Mary McCue Bell
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