Senators question Blanche over Trump-era anti-weaponization fund

Todd Blanche faced sharp questions from senators over a $1.776 billion fund the Justice Department created to compensate people who say they were politically targeted, forcing the acting attorney general to defend a deal that would send taxpayer money into a process overseen by his own department.

Blanche told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the arrangement was meant to “make right the wrongs” of prior treatment and to set up a lawful process for victims to seek redress. The Justice Department said the settlement creates an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” intended to “provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims” from people who say they suffered “weaponization and lawfare.”

The fund grew out of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns. Under the settlement, Trump, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump Organization will receive a formal apology but no direct monetary payment. The Justice Department also said the IRS is permanently barred from pursuing claims against Trump or his company based on prior tax returns.

Blanche signed a memo directing the Treasury Department to move $1.776 billion into the fund within 60 days. A five-member commission appointed by the attorney general will oversee claims, issue formal apologies and decide whether to award monetary relief. CBS News reported the fund is expected to last until December 2028.

What remains unresolved is who will qualify, what evidence standards the commission will use and how the system will avoid turning into a payout mechanism for political allies. Lawyers and publicists are already fielding inquiries about possible claims, including from people connected to Trump and January 6 defendants pardoned by Trump after returning to office. That prospect has sharpened criticism that the fund could be open to abuse.

Ninety-three Democratic members of Congress tried to intervene in the lawsuit, arguing the settlement would siphon billions of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the president, his family and his allies. Their warning lands against a broader Trump administration push that has included pardoning roughly 1,500 people convicted in the Capitol insurrection, stripping security clearances from perceived political enemies and creating a Justice Department “weaponization working group” to review Biden-era law enforcement policies.