Kathrine Frich
This proposed fund caused massive outrage across the political divide.
When you are up for a big promotion, you usually have to clear a few hurdles to prove you are the right person for the job.
In the world of high politics, those hurdles can cost billions of dollars.
Sometimes, getting the job means breaking a very expensive promise.
A costly roadblock
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wants to keep his job permanently. To make that happen, he just scrapped a $1.8 billion plan created by President Donald Trump.
The Associated Press reported according to NPR that Blanche signed a formal order late Sunday to kill the so-called anti-weaponization fund. Trump wanted to use that money to pay his political allies.
This proposed fund caused massive outrage across the political divide. Critics worried the payouts could even go to people who attacked the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
Putting it in writing
Blanche made a promise back in June that the controversial money would not be spent. Two Republican senators refused to take his word for it.
Texas Senator John Cornyn and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis blocked the confirmation vote. They demanded written proof that the fund was truly dead.
After intense talks, Blanche finally gave them the paperwork they wanted. He said the move followed “good faith discussions.”
“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 statement.
Tax deals and threats
The Justice Department made the cancellation crystal clear. A new order confirmed that no money moved and no claims were paid.
“This order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund,” the document stated. It also narrowed a deal that gave Trump and his family broad protection from tax audits, noting the shield “applies only retroactively.”
The White House fought the compromise for weeks. According to Cornyn, the justice department was ready to make a deal early on.
Pushing ahead
“But then when the president got wind of it, he wasn’t willing to go along with it,” Cornyn told the AP.
Trump still publicly supports paying the people involved in the Capitol riot. He recently claimed they had “their lives destroyed.”
“This would be a reimbursement for the pain that they suffered,” the president said on Sunday.
Blanche took over the top justice job after Trump fired Pam Bondi in April. Now, with the controversial fund completely out of the way, he finally faces his crucial confirmation vote on Tuesday.
Sources: The Associated Press, NPR
