Republicans Push Back on Trump DOJ’s $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund
CNBC reported Thursday that Republican senators are openly challenging the Trump administration’s newly created anti-weaponization fund. The $1.8 billion pool was established this week to compensate people who claim they were wrongly targeted by federal prosecutors under the Biden administration.
GOP Senators Break Ranks Over Capitol Riot Concern
The sharpest rebuke came from former Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). He condemned Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche directly after the two met Thursday morning. McConnell described the arrangement as a mechanism to pay people who attacked law enforcement officers, calling it “utterly stupid” and “morally wrong.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) was equally blunt. He told Spectrum News the fund was “stupid on stilts.” His core objection centers on a troubling scenario. Taxpayers could potentially compensate someone who assaulted a Capitol Police officer, pleaded guilty, was convicted, and later received a presidential pardon.
Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) acknowledged the unease within his caucus. He told reporters the administration’s reasoning needs to be heard, but that members have entirely legitimate questions. His caucus has discussed ways to place tighter restrictions on who qualifies for payments.
How the Fund Came to Exist
The anti-weaponization fund was created as part of a legal settlement resolving President Donald Trump’s personal lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Critics argue the fund’s origins in an unrelated tax dispute make its $1.8 billion scope difficult to justify.
Capitol Police officers who defended the building on January 6, 2021, have already filed a lawsuit seeking to have the fund declared unlawful. The fund’s potential beneficiaries include hundreds of individuals convicted or charged in connection with the Capitol riot.
Also Read: Jan. 6 Police Officers Sue Trump to Block $1.8B Lawfare Fund
Democrats Pile On With Legislation
Democratic opposition has moved swiftly. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced a bill this week to prohibit any federal money from flowing into the fund. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Finance Committee ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) went further. They proposed legislation that would impose a 100% tax on any payments disbursed through the program.
Blanche, defending the fund to CNN on Wednesday, argued that appointed commissioners would weigh a claimant’s own conduct before approving any payout. A January 6 rioter would still have to voluntarily disclose violent behavior in their application. Whether commissioners would approve such claims remains entirely unclear.
Read Next: McConnell Calls Trump’s DOJ Fund ‘Utterly Stupid, Morally Wrong’
