Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s assurance to senators about the $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and President Donald Trump’s immunity with the Internal Revenue Service is nothing more than a hollow gesture.
With Blanche’s confirmation to permanently lead the Department of Justice in jeopardy, he provided written statements Sunday to appease Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. The duo, neither of whom are seeking reelection, refused to hold a vote for Blanche without confirmation that the fund was dead and clarity about the president’s standing with the IRS.
But the new deal Blanche signed does nothing to prevent the DOJ from giving large payouts to the president’s allies. Perhaps even worse, Trump’s apparent failure to comply with federal tax laws is still forgiven, at the expense of the American taxpayer.
Both the Anti-Weaponization Fund and the president’s immunity from some audits stem from the DOJ’s legally questionable settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit, brought by Trump, against his own Treasury Department and IRS over the leak of his tax returns in 2019.
Blanche’s update to that pool of money simply states that the “May 18, 2026 order establishing the Anti-Weaponization Fund is rescinded and shall have no force or effect.” That language makes no representation that Trump loyalists who are convicted criminals won’t receive settlements; it just limits the vehicle for the payouts.