Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday again batted down questions about the fate of the so-called anti-weaponization fund, insisting the proposal is dead and pointing to his repeated statements under oath.
Speaking at a Department of Justice press conference announcing indictments in a sham marriage scheme, Blanche grew testy when a reporter asked whether he might revive the $1.776 billion fund. He noted he had testified under oath that the fund is dead, said the same in House testimony and reiterated it in post-hearing Q&As. "I'm not sure how I can further ... say that the anti-weaponization fund doesn't exist, or we use the word 'dead,'" he said.
The fund was initially authorized via a May order, but Blanche rescinded that order in August after facing bipartisan backlash—including from GOP senators whose support he needed for confirmation. Blanche's narrow Senate confirmation came after he agreed to drop the fund in exchange for backing from Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
Critics on both sides worried the fund could funnel taxpayer money to individuals convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Federal judges also questioned the fund's creation, which stemmed from a settlement in President Trump's reopened lawsuit against the IRS.
Blanche, who officially took the attorney general post on Monday, reiterated that the fund was never operational. "There were never commissioners" appointed to oversee payouts, he said, and no money was distributed. He also noted that his Aug. 2 rescission order stands.
Despite the fund's demise, Trump has voiced support for the concept. After Blanche was sworn in, the president said the initiative's future was "up to" Blanche, his former personal attorney. Blanche said Tuesday that he and Trump would back congressional legislation to compensate those they believe were victims of a weaponized DOJ.
"The president feels very strongly, as do I, that there were people who were victims of a Department of Justice that was absolutely weaponized," Blanche said. "But it will not be through the anti-weaponization fund, which, again, was never set up, and nothing has happened with it."
The comments come amid broader scrutiny of Blanche's independence. Critics have warned that his close ties to Trump could undermine DOJ norms, a concern echoed in warnings from former White House counsel. Blanche has vowed to run the department independently, but the fund saga has fueled skepticism.
Meanwhile, the DOJ's focus on marriage fraud indictments underscores the department's routine law enforcement work, even as political controversies swirl around its leadership.
