2026-08-02 · contested story

Trump threatens to revive ‘anti-weaponization’ fund as he signals he will keep Blanche in acting AG role

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to permanently lead the Justice Department stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee after two lame-duck Republican senators—John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—refused to advance it without written assurances that a controversial $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund is permanently dead and that a related IRS tax-audit immunity deal for Trump and his family would be narrowed. President Trump responded by threatening to withdraw Blanche's nomination until Cornyn and Tillis leave office in January, keeping Blanche as acting AG 'in any event,' and later vowed to 'push hard' to pass an anti-weaponization bill through Congress—even after saying the fund was 'dead.' The fund originated from a settlement of Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, which a federal judge (Kathleen Williams) voided as a 'sham' filed for an 'improper purpose,' referring Blanche and other attorneys for possible bar discipline.

How each side frames it

left
"Cornyn, along with Senator Thom Tillis, has been demanding written termination of Trump's $1.776 slush fund to help his allies."
"Central to the standoff is the controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" slush fund that Blanche helped create for Trump earlier this year."
"Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called the IRS deal "an obscene act of corrupt self-dealing" and said in a statement that Blanche's nomination should be rejected."
"Judge Sullivan took a look at that sweetheart deal the Trump family cut with itself that included the slush fund for the January 6 goons and, perhaps after a good laugh, cranked up the Enola Gay on the whole business."
"But in fact he has steered the Justice Department toward institutional wreckage."
center
"President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wouldn't object to temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche as his nominee for attorney general amid resistance from two Republican senators, another blow to Blanche's confirmation battle."
"The 'anti-weaponization' fund, crafted as part of a legal settlement between Trump and the Justice Department to resolve his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over allegedly mishandling his tax records, was put on hold amid opposition from Republicans in Congress."
"The president said in a social media post that he would keep Todd Blanche as acting attorney general, saying -- quote -- "I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.""
"Blanche likely does not need to be confirmed to effectively serve as Trump's attorney general for the rest of his term as president. Acting officers can serve in their roles "for the period that the nomination is pending in the Senate," so long as their nomination is not formally rejected or withdrawn."
"But sources familiar with the standoff told The Post that Cornyn "has not been acting in good faith," had canceled three meetings with Blanche and had already been handed written proposals for eliminating the fund."
right
""Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time," Trump said."
"After Blanche's confirmation hearing was postponed late Wednesday night, Trump took to Truth Social Thursday morning to excoriate the two key holdouts on the Senate Judiciary Committee standing in the way of his personal lawyer becoming the nation's top prosecutor"
"The agreement signed by Blanche grants the president, his two oldest sons and The Trump Organization immunity from tax audits and creates a $1.8 billion fund for so-called victims of government "weaponization.""
"The Senate's duty is to check presidential abuses of power, not encourage them by rewarding his complicit subordinates with promotions."
""He just keeps moving the f–king goal posts," one person griped, adding that Tillis was "standing by his friend" in opposition to Trump."

What each side left out

The left left out — covered by the Lawfare & Reuters & Time Magazine
The left left out — covered by the NY Post
The right left out — covered by the Miami Herald & Business Insider & Ms. Magazine
The right left out — covered by the The Guardian & HuffPost & AP News
The center left out — covered by the The Daily Beast & The New Republic
The left left out — covered by the National Review

What's actually true?

[verified] Trump said he had no objection to temporarily withdrawing Blanche's nomination and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office
[verified] The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a planned Thursday vote on Blanche's nomination due to opposition from Cornyn and Tillis
[verified] The fund is worth approximately $1.776 billion (cited variously as $1.8 billion) and stems from the settlement of Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax returns
[verified] U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled the IRS lawsuit was 'brought for an improper purpose' and referred Trump's attorney Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar for discipline
[verified] Blanche can continue serving as acting attorney general indefinitely even if not confirmed, because as deputy attorney general he can exercise the AG's duties when the office is vacant
[verified] Cornyn lost his Republican primary to Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton, and Tillis chose not to seek reelection after clashing with Trump
[verified] Trump said on Saturday he would 'push hard' to pass an Anti-Weaponization Bill through Congress if Blanche isn't confirmed, even after saying the fund was 'dead' on Friday
[verified] The IRS settlement's tax-audit immunity portion remains in effect and shields Trump, his family and businesses from audits of past tax returns, potentially saving Trump over $100 million

The narrative clash

Whether the anti-weaponization fund is actually dead or will be revived
Left: Tillis: 'His statement lends credence to what the Democrats are saying about him resurrecting this thing at the appropriate time. And so either people are lying to me, saying that this was moot and that we could move on, or the president's getting bad advice from somebody'
Right: Blanche: 'We are not moving forward with the fund, period.' When pressed by Rep. Grace Meng that he means 'Not moving forward, ever,' Blanche responds, 'Correct.'
Whether Cornyn is opposing Blanche out of genuine concern or personal revenge
Left: Cornyn brushed off the accusation... He called Trump's claim 'a convenient excuse, but it's certainly not true.'
Right: Trump: 'John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee'
Who is the obstacle to a deal — Blanche or White House higher-ups
Left: Cornyn: 'I think if this were just between me and Todd Blanche, we would have worked this out. But apparently he's getting some pushback from higher ups at the White House. I don't know who, but this doesn't need to be this hard'
Right: Sources familiar with the standoff told The Post that Cornyn 'has not been acting in good faith,' had canceled three meetings with Blanche and had already been handed written proposals for eliminating the fund. 'He just keeps moving the f–king goal posts'

90 sources analyzed

The New Republic The Daily Beast The Bulwark HuffPost The Boston Globe Esquire NPR Politico Salon.com CNN usatoday.com The Guardian The Washington Post NBC News pbs.org Al Jazeera Los Angeles Times The Texas Tribune New York Magazine Miami Herald Deadline The Independent cbsnews.com The Hill Slate The Damage Report BBC WSJ Bloomberg.com abcnews.com AP News Ms. Magazine MS NOW Axios the-independent.com Reuters Forbes Raleigh News & Observer CNBC TODAY.com U.S. News & World Report Time Magazine courthousenews.com yahoo.com Roll Call KCRA Washington Times Punchbowl News WMUR WBAL-TV KCCI Financial Times Just Security Democracy Docket Balls and Strikes Lawfare wonkette.com The Economist Honolulu Star-Advertiser Business Insider The Federalist Society LiveNOW from FOX Democracy Now! The i Paper Society for the Rule of Law Lodinews.com The Seattle Times KEYE WANE 15 Barron's Democracy Defenders Action Campaign for Accountability Local 3 News The Denver Post Democracy Forward The Detroit News Law360 TribLIVE.com KCENTV.com Newser Newsweek ABC7 Los Angeles nypost.com Fox News C-SPAN thenationaldesk.com National Review UPI Yahoo! Search Scripps News

Perspectivity reads the coverage — not just who published it.

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