Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump has threatened to revive a controversial fund to compensate his allies amid a standoff with two Republican senators who are holding out on confirming his pick for attorney general.
Todd Blanche, who has been acting in the role since April, needs the support of all Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to get the job permanently.
But Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina – whose terms both expire in January – are withholding theirs over the status of Trump’s $1.8bn (£1.3bn) “anti-weaponisation fund”.
If the two don’t approve Blanche, Trump said on Saturday that “it will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done”.
He said if they don’t approve Blanche’s nomination, “then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill”.
Trump considers pulling Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination as senators hold out
The proposed fund was announced earlier this year to settle a lawsuit by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leak of his tax returns.
It would have allowed Trump allies to claim compensation for what they say was politically motivated prosecutions by previous administrations.
The widely criticised plan prompted alarm among Democrats – and some Republicans – who argued it could result in payment to people who were prosecuted over the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021, including those convicted of assaulting police officers.
Following the backlash, Blanche, who negotiated it, abandoned it.
Separately, a federal judge blocked the fund and expressed concerns that it breached ethical guidelines.
‘Payout pot for punks’
Cornyn and Tillis want Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer, to state in writing that the Justice Department will not resurrect the fund later on. The Trump administration has not announced such a commitment.
Tillis responded to Trump on X on Saturday, writing: “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.
“It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal,” he added. “Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.”
The judiciary committee has a meeting scheduled for Tuesday for a possible vote on Blanche’s nomination.
The BBC has reached out to Cornyn’s office for comment.
The issue of the anti-weaponisation fund continues to be a focus for Trump.
At a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, Trump acknowledged that the fund was “dead” – but suggested that he still wanted compensation for those he believes were wronged by the justice department.
“I think people are horribly treated. Horribly abused,” he told reporters. “I’d like to see them compensated for the pain.”
“People they were very successful that wanted to go to a rally or an event…ended up spending the rest of their lives in horror,” Trump added. “They’ve agreed to not have a fund, but there are a lot of people that are very set about it.”
Even as lame duck lawmakers, both Tillis and Cornyn have emerged as thorns in Trump’s side, despite his claims to have ended their political careers.
Tillis initially drew Trump’s ire by opposing his “One, Big, Beautiful” tax and spending bill. After years of loyalty, Cornyn and Trump fell out after the president backed his opponent, Ken Paxton, to run in November’s midterm elections, ending his chances of another term.
