Todd Blanche Rescinds Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund Before Confirmation Vote
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally rescinded the Justice Department order establishing President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, addressing a central demand from Republican senators blocking his confirmation.
The signed order says the earlier directive is rescinded and has no force or effect. It also states that no money was distributed, no claims were filed and no administrative process began.
Blanche separately clarified language tied to Trump’s settlement with the IRS and Treasury. The clarification says protections involving tax examinations apply retroactively to the named plaintiffs and do not prevent future audits.
The orders followed sustained pressure from Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Both Republicans had threatened to oppose Blanche’s nomination unless the Justice Department formally terminated the fund and narrowed the audit provision.
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Tillis said publicly that he and Cornyn had worked with Blanche to end the fund, describing the acting attorney general as forthright and patient. Reports following the announcement indicated that Cornyn was prepared to support Blanche after the agreement.
The fund originated in a settlement resolving Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over the disclosure of tax information. The Justice Department’s original announcement said Trump and the other plaintiffs would receive an apology but no direct damages.
The rescission may clear Blanche’s immediate confirmation hurdle, but it does not necessarily settle every legal question. The underlying agreement directed the attorney general to establish the fund, creating uncertainty over whether additional court action or a revised settlement is required.
The next test is whether the Senate Judiciary Committee advances Blanche’s nomination and whether the court accepts the administration’s changes as fully resolving the dispute.
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