Trump Officials Quietly Keep $1.776 Billion Payout Plan Alive as Blanche Seeks Senate Confirmation
Updated
Updated · The Atlantic · Jun 11
Trump Officials Quietly Keep $1.776 Billion Payout Plan Alive as Blanche Seeks Senate Confirmation
3 articles · Updated · The Atlantic · Jun 11
Summary
$1.776 billion in proposed compensation for Trump allies remains under active discussion inside the administration, with officials exploring ways to restart the Anti-Weaponization Fund or route payments through other mechanisms.
Eight people familiar with the talks said the effort is being kept quiet after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the fund was not moving forward and refused to put that assurance in writing.
DOJ and White House allies are weighing settlements through existing Justice Department channels, potentially encouraging claims and expedited payouts for January 6 defendants, pardon recipients and others alleging Biden-era "weaponization."
The secrecy reflects legal and political pressure: a federal judge ordered DOJ to halt further fund action before a June 12 hearing, and plaintiffs say the administration's shifting statements make its denials unreliable.
Blanche's attorney general nomination is now entangled with the fund, as Republican senators including Thom Tillis have signaled they could block him if the payout plan is not truly dead.