President Trump threatened to gear up for another push to implement his “anti-weaponization” fund if skeptical GOP senators do not approve Todd Blanche as attorney general.
He called out GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina on Saturday over their reluctance to advance Mr. Blanche’s nomination due to their request for concrete assurances that the fund is dead.
If both lawmakers do not approve Mr. Blanche, then Mr. Trump said he will keep him as acting attorney general and “push hard” to enact legislation that would offer payouts to people “who have been so badly treated” by the Obama and Biden administrations.
“It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done,” he said on Truth Social, referring to “the Anti-Weaponization Bill.”
It is unclear what legislation the president referenced.
Mr. Tillis quickly jumped ship from any progress to advance the nomination.
“Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against,” he wrote on social media in response. “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal.”
Mr. Cornyn did not directly respond to Mr. Trump’s threats, but he reposted others who defended his concerns.
The obstacle, the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” is a $1.776 billion proposed government payout program intended to compensate individuals Mr. Trump claims were politically targeted, originally part of a legal settlement with the Internal Revenue Service.
Some lawmakers aired out fears that the fund could be used to reward those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The president publicly stated that the payout is “dead,” although he added he wishes it were not, undercutting Mr. Blanche’s assurances as Senate confirmation votes stalled.
A federal judge blocked the fund and demanded formal, sworn written declarations that it was permanently canceled, which the Justice Department declined to officially submit.
The Senate Judiciary Committee was supposed to vote on advancing Mr. Blanche’s nomination last Thursday, but it was postponed and rescheduled due to the two Republicans’ concerns.
For him to actually be confirmed, at least one of the two GOP holdouts would need to defect and vote yes, since both currently sit on the committee. If Mr. Blanche can clear the committee, the Senate should have enough time to confirm him before departing for the August recess.
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