Trump Says Anti-weaponization Fund Is ‘dead’

President Donald Trump said Friday that the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund for so-called victims of government abuse is “dead” – as much as he’d like it not to be.

“It’s dead, but you know, I wish it weren’t … I’d like to see them compensated,” he told reporters gathered at Camp David.

The “anti-weaponization fund” was created – over the bipartisan objection of lawmakers – to compensate people who claim they were wronged by the federal government, including rioters who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The fund has become embroiled in a tug of war between lawmakers and the White House – and that disagreement is holding up the nomination of Todd Blanche to be the next attorney general.

The chief holdouts on the Republican side include Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who lost his seat in the May primary election after Trump endorsed his opponent, state Attorney General Ken Paxton – and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). They have opposed the fund and pledged not to support Blanche’s nomination until the administration commits in writing not to revive it.

And it seems the administration feels like it won’t need to, preferring to let Blanche serve in an acting capacity until Cornyn and Tillis are out of office next year, with hopes that the Senate remains in GOP control.

“There are no efforts right now to give enough on the fund or the audit deal to satisfy Cornyn,” said a person close to the White House, granted anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations. “The president will wait him out, and believes he can win. The gamble is, will Republicans keep the Senate? His actions in Texas have put that majority at more risk.”

On Thursday Cornyn indicated that negotiations were ongoing to get Blanche’s nomination unstuck, but it’s unclear where those negotiations stand as of Friday.

In addition to declaring in writing that the fund is dead, Cornyn has also asked for an explicit clarification that the president and his family would not be afforded immunity from tax investigations. Trump has insisted that the fund would not personally benefit him.

In a posting to social media site X, Tillis said Trump’s comments on Friday make it clear that “so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it.”