The leading Republican senator has voiced opposition to Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded deal benefiting his political supporters.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has criticized the Justice Department’s approval of the ‘anti-weaponization’ settlement. This agreement allowed Trump to withdraw his $10 billion defamation case against the IRS in return for establishing a fund that uses taxpayer money to compensate victims of ‘lawfare,’ which includes individuals involved in the January 6 events.
“I’m not particularly fond of it. I’m unclear on how they plan to utilize it, but as I understand, it was just announced,” Thune remarked to the press. “Honestly, I don’t see its purpose.”
The fund, totaling $1.776 billion, is authorized to issue formal apologies and financial compensation to claimants. Although Trump himself cannot directly receive money from this fund, organizations linked to him are not expressly forbidden from making additional claims.
Other prominent GOP figures, such as outgoing Senator Bill Cassidy, a vocal Trump opponent who recently lost his primary, have labeled the compensation measures as a ‘slush fund’ and questioned the administration’s legal right to distribute funds to those investigated or prosecuted under the Biden administration.
“An attorney explained it to me like this,” Senator Cassidy noted. “It’s as if someone sued themselves and settled with themselves, but the funding comes from all of us. If that’s accurate: What?!?”
Senator Rand Paul, another prominent Republican who is backing Trump’s Senate rival Thomas Massie in his upcoming primary race, also slammed the President’s payout fund.
‘I’ve never heard of someone negotiating with themselves and making a plea bargain with themselves, so I think there’s no precedent for it,’ Trump said.
Trump dropped his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a fund channeling taxpayer money to victims of ‘lawfare,’ including January 6 rioters
‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, during the January 6 riot in 2021
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has come out against the ‘anti-weaponization’ settlement approved by the Justice Department
The President, his sons Don Jr and Eric, and the Trump Organization initially filed suit against the Treasury and IRS in the Southern District of Florida federal court after the leak of their tax returns in 2019.
Five commissioners will be appointed to oversee the fund and disburse payments to those seeking redress for alleged political persecution under Biden.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former attorney who defended him during his criminal trials, will be responsible for appointments to the commission. Trump has the authority to remove any member.
Blanche was grilled by a Democratic senator on Capitol Hill Tuesday, with some calling it the most corrupt act in presidential history.
The AG defended the fund, stating that it would not be limited to Republicans or those investigated by the Biden DOJ. Blanche said all payouts will be a matter of public record.
He described the fund as ‘a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.’
Democratic Senator Chris Hollen pressed Blanche on whether Capitol rioters who assaulted police officers would be eligible for payment.
‘Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were a victim of weaponization,’ Blanche replied.
It was not immediately clear who precisely would stand to benefit from the fund, but its creation reflects Trump’s long-running claims that the Justice Department during the Biden administration was weaponized against him.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former attorney who defended him during his criminal trials, will be responsible for managing the fund
The President, his sons Don Jr and Eric, and the Trump Organization initially filed suit against the Treasury and IRS in the Southern District of Florida federal court after the leak of their tax returns in 2019
He has cited as proof the since-dismissed criminal charges he faced between his first and second terms of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and retaining classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Several Trump aides were also prosecuted, as were hundreds of MAGA supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Brian Morrissey, who was confirmed as the Treasury’s general counsel just seven months ago, tendered his resignation within hours of the fund’s creation.
His departure appears to coincide with Trump’s settlement. In his resignation letter, however, Morrissey thanked the President and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying he was grateful to have worked in the administration.
