Trump Says He Did Not Sign Order Rescinding $1.8 Billion Settlement Fund
President Trump confirmed he did not sign the acting attorney general’s order that declared the Justice Department’s anti-weaponization settlement fund dead, while Senate Republicans are poised to confirm the nominee.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he had not signed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s order rescinding the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion settlement fund, often referred to as the “anti-weaponization fund.” Trump said he was unaware of the details of the order but described the fund as “a positive” that many Republicans supported.
Legal scholars have expressed doubt that Blanche’s order effectively terminates the fund. University of North Carolina criminal law professor Carissa Byrne Hessick said the letter contains no provision preventing the fund’s revival once Blanche is confirmed, and former U.S. Attorney Barb McQuade called the order “hollow.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Blanche’s confirmation on Tuesday, with key GOP senators Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. John Tillis indicating they will support the nominee. If confirmed, Blanche would remain acting attorney general while the full Senate considers his appointment.
Separately, the committee addressed concerns about a related IRS immunity agreement tied to Trump’s lawsuit. The Department of Justice released an unsigned statement saying the agreement applies retroactively only to Trump, his eldest sons and the Trump Organization, not to other affiliated businesses. Cornyn and Tillis said the clarification satisfied their concerns, although the Tax Law Center at New York University noted a possible conflict between the statement’s scope and the order’s language.
Experts note that, because the settlement agreement requires written consent from all parties to modify the fund, Blanche could theoretically reverse his own order and reactivate the fund. A federal judge has currently blocked the fund’s implementation, but the government could still pursue alternative mechanisms to provide payments to individuals.
"Just to be clear, the President of the United States, who’s a party to this lawsuit, has not agreed in writing to delete this weaponization fund, and there’s no guarantee that he, or one of the other plaintiffs, might raise that issue by way of a lawsuit … in the future," Sen. John Cornyn said during Blanche’s hearing.
The outcome of the confirmation vote and any subsequent legal actions will determine whether the settlement fund remains dormant or could be revived.