Acting Attorney General Blanche rescinds $1.8 billion Trump settlement fund

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order on Sunday that formally ends the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” created to compensate supporters of President Donald Trump. The decision follows weeks of talks with Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both of whom have delayed Blanche’s confirmation to the Justice Department’s top post.

A spokesperson for Sen. Cornyn confirmed the agreement ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Blanche’s nomination. Sen. Tillis has not commented publicly. Blanche said the order resulted from “good faith discussions” with committee members and senators.

The Justice Department’s statement accompanying the order said the agency had repeatedly told Congress and district courts that the fund would not move forward, and that no members had been appointed, no money transferred, and no claims processed. The order declares that “there is no Fund.”

The order also narrows a separate provision of the settlement that granted broad tax-audit immunity to Trump and his family, limiting it to claims that were open at the time of the settlement and not extending protection to future filings.

Senators Cornell and Tillis have expressed concerns that the fund could have been used to compensate individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Their opposition has stalled the scheduled committee vote on Blanche’s nomination.

Trump has repeatedly advocated for the fund’s continuation and warned he might withdraw Blanche’s nomination if the senators do not relent. The former president also claimed the fund would reimburse people whose lives were “destroyed” by charges related to the Capitol breach.

Separately, Trump’s legal team has appealed a judge’s ruling that labeled the settlement with the IRS as an improper self-dealing arrangement and referred one of Trump’s attorneys for possible disciplinary action. Blanche has disputed the judge’s insinuations about his involvement.

The Justice Department described the court’s request for a sworn declaration that the administration would not revive the fund as “unnecessary.”