Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as part of his confirmation process for the permanent position of Attorney General. During the hearing, Blanche stated that a proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, included in a recent settlement between President Trump and the IRS, would not be implemented. He told lawmakers the fund is "dead" and that no money had been transferred from the Treasury to support it.
The settlement, which drew bipartisan scrutiny, originally called for a DOJ-managed fund to compensate victims of alleged government overreach and provided tax immunity to the Trump family and its businesses. Earlier this week, a federal judge in Miami issued sanctions against a Trump attorney and rebuked the Justice Department, ruling the lawsuit was pursued for an improper purpose. The judge's order barred Blanche and other officials from citing the settlement's provisions as evidence of a final agreement in formal proceedings.
Under questioning from Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), Blanche acknowledged that while the fund is not moving forward, the settlement agreement itself has not been formally amended in court. Blanche noted that because the agreement is a contract, the president's counsel could theoretically attempt to enforce it or claim a breach of contract, though he stated he was unaware of any plans to do so. Cornyn told reporters following the hearing that he remains undecided on whether to support Blanche's confirmation.