Trump threatens to revive contested fund if Senate blocks attorney general nominee

President Donald Trump warned Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn on Saturday that he would continue to press for the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund if they do not approve Todd Blanche as the United States attorney general. The fund, announced in May as part of a settlement with the IRS and Treasury Department, would compensate individuals who claim they were politically persecuted.

Senators Tillis and Cornyn have said they will not vote for Blanche unless there is a written agreement that the fund will not be pursued. Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general, previously told Congress the fund was "dead" and that no money had been transferred.

"If Senators Cornyn and Tillis are not going to approve Todd Blanche, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G. and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill passed," Trump wrote on his social-media platform.

"Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot," Tillis posted on X, adding that he hopes the issue can be resolved by Tuesday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a vote on Blanche’s nomination for Tuesday at 9 a.m., after a brief delay. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said he wants the nomination confirmed before the Senate’s August recess.

The anti-weaponization fund was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in May while lawsuits challenging the program were considered. Democracy Forward, one of the plaintiffs, called the fund a “political rewards program” that lacked congressional authorization. The Justice Department later confirmed that the fund would not move forward, a position supported by many Democrats and some Republicans who have labeled the proposal a “slush fund.”

The Senate is set to recess at the end of next week and will not reconvene until mid-September.