Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally withdrawn President Donald Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion anti‑weaponisation fund, clearing the path for his confirmation as the nation’s top law‑enforcement official.
Blanche announced the move in an X post following weeks of discussion with Senate Judiciary Committee members. In the post he attached an official order confirming that the fund was dead, stating: “This Order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”
The fund had been presented earlier this year as part of a settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leak of his tax returns. It was designed to provide compensation for Trump supporters who believed they had been the target of politically motivated prosecutions after the January 6 Capitol riot, as well as to offer limited IRS immunity to the president and his family.
Opposition from two Republican senators—John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—kept the nomination stalled because they were not convinced the fund was fully terminated or that the IRS immunity was appropriately restricted. The senators threatened to block Blanche’s confirmation unless the plan was scrapped.
Following the withdrawal, Blanche’s nomination is expected to progress in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled for the following week. The confirmation vote could proceed without the fund dispute lingering on the agenda.
For more details on the controversy, see the original reporting on BBC News and the Justice Department’s official memos.
