NewzThe Trump administration is still pushing lawmakers to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, even as President Trump defends the "anti-weaponization" fund holding Blanche's confirmation hostage.The big picture: The "anti-weaponization" fund has been the red line for Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). The lawmakers have refused to vote for Blanche until the DOJ put into writing that aspects of the deal aren't moving forward.Trump said Friday the fund is dead, but he didn't seem happy about it."I wish it weren't [dead]," Trump said of the fund.
He added that he wanted to see people who "were horribly treated, horribly abused" by the government be compensated. Friction point: Tillis seemed to take issue with Trump defending the fund on Truth Social, retweeting a screenshot of the president's words on Friday and writing that Trump had "made it clear" that the fund "is still alive.""I will continue working in good faith to put an end [to] this legal and political albatross and prevent any potential misallocation of taxpayer dollars," Tillis wrote, adding that Blanche had been forthright in discussions.Earlier Friday, the president went after Cornyn, and said he would "always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure."Cornyn also re-shared a post Friday that said it "does not sound like citizen Trump has agreed to end the Fund."Catch up quick: The president on Thursday floated withdrawing Blanche's name and keeping him on in an acting capacity until Cornyn and Tillis leave the Senate this January.But on Friday, Trump said Blanche should be "immediately approved," a call seconded by members of his administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a Friday post that the Senate shouldn't go on recess until Blanche is confirmed.The White House also released a demand to confirm Blanche "without delay" on its website Friday with a list of endorsements from law enforcement groups, former DOJ officials and members of Congress, among others.What we're watching: While the battle over Blanche plays out in Washington, attorneys for the president said Friday that they'd appeal a Miami-based federal judge's order that blasted the extraordinary deal to drop the IRS suit against his own government.U.S.
District Judge Kathleen Williams wrote in her scathing order earlier this month that the… The president said in his post that Todd Blanche should be immediately confirmed for attorney general and is a “pawn in this whole thing.” WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that his $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is “dead” while also continuing to defend it, further complicating his administration’s negotiations with two Republican senators who are blocking his attorney general nominee in protest.
6, 2001, attack on the Capitol — “are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them.”Trump’s reluctant declaration that the fund won't be created came as Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, say they won’t support Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general until they see that promise in writing. They have been working for weeks with the White House and Blanche, who is now the acting attorney general, to produce a document to that effect, but both senators have said they aren’t satisfied so far.“The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it,” Tillis said after Trump’s initial social media post.Trump said in his post that Blanche should be immediately confirmed and is a “pawn in this whole thing.”Cornyn, Tillis want promises in writingBlanche said at a hearing two months ago that the anti-weaponization fund would not move forward after Republican senators revolted and held up an immigration funding bill.But Tillis, who is retiring when his term ends in January, and Cornyn, who lost reelection this year after Trump endorsed his primary opponent, said they want to ensure that the White House doesn’t reverse course, especially as Trump continues to argue that a fund is needed.In addition to the fund, Cornyn and Tillis have said they also want some clarifications on a separate piece of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits.
Cornyn said this week that it was his understanding that th… Trump told reporters at Camp David on Friday morning that administration officials had “agreed not to have a fund” that compensates his political allies, yet made clear that he disagrees with that decision. The comments came hours after an early morning social media post in which Trump said people who had been prosecuted by the Justice Department — many of them for their involvement in the violent Jan.
“The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it,” Tillis said after Trump’s initial social media post. Trump said in his post that Blanche should be immediately confirmed and is a “pawn in this whole thing.” Cornyn, Tillis want promises in writing Blanche said at a hearing two months ago that the anti-weaponization fund would not move forward after Republican senators revolted and held up an immigration funding bill. But Tillis, who is retiring when his term ends in January, and Cornyn, who lost reelection this year after Trump endorsed his primary opponent, said they want to ensure that the White House doesn’t reverse course, especially as Trump continues to argue that a fund is needed.
Summary from source