Todd Blanche grilled over Trump administration's $1.8B 'anti-weaponization' fund

lord todd Blanche, playing attorney superior general in Donald Trump's brass, faced vivid scrutiny on Capitol Hill on Tuesday over Justice Department plans to create a $1.77-billion US fund to pay allies of the Republican president who believe they were targeted politically.

Blanche's testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee was meant to address the department's annual budget request but it follows Monday's announcement about the creation of the "Anti-Weaponization Fund." Critics have decried it as an illegal abuse of power designed to line the pockets of Trump allies with taxpayer dollars.

Blanche on Tuesday admitted the fund, to be overseen by a commission, was "unusual," but denied that Trump directed him to create it, or that political affiliation will play any part in who receives compensation.

Blanche also said the effort wasn't unprecedented, referencing a fund established by Barack Obama's administration to compensate Native American farmers who said they had experienced racial discrimination.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, called that comparison "incredibly deceptive," given that a federal judge signed off on that 2010 settlement.

Donald Sherman, the president of government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), characterized the fund in a statement on Monday as "one of the single most corrupt acts in American history."

Trump said at the White House on Monday that he was only recently informed about the commission.

"I didn't do this deal. It was told to me yesterday," he said.

The fund will be able to review claims of alleged government political targeting, issue formal apologies and award monetary compensation to approved applicants, the Justice Department said. A five-member commission appointed by Blanche will oversee the fund, with one member chosen in consultation with congressional leadership.

According to the Justice Department, the president can remove any member of the commission.

The Justice Department did not identify anyone by name who could theoretically benefit from the fund, but there were multiple investigations of Trump allies during predecessor Joe Biden's administration, including about 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Trump in his second term either pardoned them, commuted their prison sentences or ordered their cases dismissed.

More than 250 people were convicted of assault charges for attacks on law enforcement officers, with the attacks in many cases captured on surveillance or body camera footage.

Several Democrats asked Blanche if that group of individuals, or those convicted of assault, would be barred from participating. Blanche said being able to apply doesn't mean a rubberstamp or an approval is guaranteed.

"As was made plain yesterday, anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were a victim of weaponization," he said.

While most Republicans in the morning session shied away from the topic, Maine Sen. Susan Collins expressed concerns about the plan.

In the weeks since assuming control of the Justice Department after the departure of Pam Bondi, Blanche has also moved aggressively to advance the president's priorities — pushing forward cases against public figures who've raised the ire of Trump, including former FBI director James Comey.

Comey told CNN on Monday that "I guess I'll be in line" to apply to the commission.

"I hope I’ll be ahead of those who savagely beat police officers and sacked the Capitol," he said.

While Blanche forcefully pushed back against Democratic lawmakers on occasion, he attempted to answer most questions. That was a contrast to Bondi, who brought a binder to hearings and launched attacks on individual Democratic lawmakers.

The fund, announced Monday, came after Trump and his two adult sons sued the IRS and the Treasury Department over a leak of confidential tax records.

Former IRS contract employee Charles Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to leaking tax information about Trump and others to two news outlets between 2018 and 2020.

The lawsuit faced possible legal headwinds, with the federal judge in the case referencing a potential conflict of interest for the president.

Blanche, Trump's personal lawyer between his presidential terms, seemed to indicate Tuesday that no Trump family members would be eligible for compensation.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island called the fund a travesty and pointed out that over 400,000 individuals had their tax records exposed in the leak.

Trump has insisted that the Justice Department during Biden's administration was weaponized against him and his allies. Blanche said Tuesday "what happened during the Biden administration was disgusting," earning a rebuke from Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, who called the comment "inappropriate."

Trump faced criminal indictments for both his efforts to prevent a peaceful transfer of power to Biden after his 2020 election loss, as well as handling of classified documents are leaving the White House. Those charges against Trump were cast aside after U.S. Voters elected him president again in November 2024.

During Biden's term, a special counsel reporting to the attorney general brought tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden, the president's son, and congressional Democrats Bob Menendez and Henry Cueller were investigated for corruption.

The department in Trump's second term, meanwhile, declined to press charges against Republican House Rep. Cory Mills after a domestic violence allegation, or Tom Homan, the border czar who accepted $50,000 from undercover agents months before being appointed for a second stint with Trump's administration.

Blanche, meanwhile, said there was "no basis" for a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Minnesota activist Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in January.

Van Hollen took Blanche to task for the lack of such a probe, and the fact that instead the department began a probe of Good's domestic partner, which reportedly led to a number of prosecutor resignations.

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