Republican holdouts back Blanche, but concerns remain over anti-weaponization fund

WASHINGTON —

The push to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general appears to be back on track following a feud over the Trump administration’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” but Democrats argue that the new assurances sought by GOP holdouts don’t go far enough.

Two Republican senators, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, were standing in the way of Blanche’s confirmation, but both are now planning to advance his nomination to the full Senate when the matter comes up for a vote before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

“We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund,” the senators wrote in a joint statement on Monday.

Blanche posted that order on Sunday after days of negotiations, declaring, “beyond any doubt, that there is no fund.” The order puts in writing what Blanche said publicly weeks ago following bipartisan backlash over the fund on Capitol Hill.

The $1.8 billion fund was created as part of a deal to settle the president’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. It was designed to compensate Americans who believe they were unfairly prosecuted by the government, potentially including Jan. 6 rioters.

Asked about the order officially rescinding the fund on Monday, Trump told reporters that he hadn’t seen it and proceeded to defend the concept.

“These people were treated horribly, and this fund could’ve given them some solace,” Trump said.

The new Justice Department order makes clear that the fund is currently non-existent, noting that no money has been transferred and no process for receiving claims has been established.

But critics argue it does nothing to prevent the president from trying to revive it down the road.

“These assurances are not worth the paper they’re written on,” Tax Law Center Policy Director Brandon DeBot said in a statement. “They don’t do anything new to stop the President from trying to bring back the fund, as he threatened to this weekend. It’s abundantly clear we need congressional action.”

Debot said that Congress should pass a bill clearly preventing a fund like this from being created in the future. He also wants lawmakers to block another part of the IRS settlement that gives the president, his family, and the Trump Organization immunity from certain tax audits.

“The tax immunity part of the deal gives the president and his family a completely different set of rules than everyday taxpayers,” DeBot said.

The Justice Department clarified in writing that the immunity agreement “applies by its terms only retroactively” and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit are covered by the agreement.

The clarification reflects additional assurances demanded by Tillis and Cornyn. Critics argue these are not meaningful concessions and warn that the initial agreement could still be interpreted more broadly.