Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issues order rescinding “anti-weaponization fund”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued an order Sunday evening formally rescinding plans to create a $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of President Trump.

The order came after Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn threatened to block Blanche’s confirmation for the permanent position to lead the Justice Department. 

“The Attorney General’s May 18, 2026 Order establishing the Anti-WeaponizationFund (“Fund”) is rescinded and shall have no force or effect,” the order states.

“For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Order is intended to contradict or otherwise be contrary to prior representations by the Department of Justice that the Fund is not operative. No Members were appointed; no funds were transferred; no process for receiving claims was established; no claims were paid. Nevertheless, several frivolous lawsuits have been filed challenging the Fund, and at least one court has declined to dismiss those claims as moot,” it continues. “This Order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

Tillis and Cornyn have refused to vote for Blanche as the full-time attorney general unless it is put in writing that Mr. Trump will no longer pursue the “anti-weaponization fund,” a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim they were politically persecuted, which was announced in May as part of a settlement to resolve Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department.  

The document released by Blanche on Sunday night also limits the scope of another provision of the settlement that provided broad immunity for Mr. Trump and members of his family from tax audits. It clarifies that the tax audit immunity agreement “applies only retroactively” to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.  

“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche said in a post on X. We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order.”

Natalie Yezbick, a spokesperson for Cornyn, told CBS News in a statement the senator, “has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice” about the fund and the scope of the IRS settlement.

CBS News has also reached out to Tillis for comment.

After being delayed last week due to Cornyn and Tillis’ objections, the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Blanche is scheduled for Tuesday.  

At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Blanche insisted the fund was “dead.” Cornyn noted the settlement states any changes to it must be agreed upon in writing by all parties involved. 

“Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?” Cornyn asked.

“No, the settlement fund is just not moving forward,” Blanche responded. “There’s no modification. It never started. No money went from the Treasury to any other account.” 

The acting attorney general’s office said Sunday night that Blanche “stands by all of his July 15, 2026 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, including answers to questions asked by Senator Cornyn related to the scope and applicability of the May 19, 2026 Order,” and included a transcript of the exchange with the order.

Mr. Trump on Saturday had threatened to push to revive the fund if Tillis and Cornyn did not back Blanche as attorney general.

“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED,” the president wrote Saturday morning on Truth Social.”

The “anti-weaponization fund” was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in May amid a series of lawsuits. The Justice Department said in June court filings that the fund was not going forward and argued the lawsuits against it should be rendered moot. 

Democrats, who have called it a “slush fund,” and a number of Republicans besides Cornyn and Tillis have previously stated their opposition to the fund, making the prospect of any future implementation or passage questionable, despite the president’s weekend ultimatum.

Tillis, in response to Mr. Trump, said Saturday on X, “Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against.”