Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fund won't move forward, Justice Department says
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a congressional hearing June 2 that the Justice Department will not move forward with President Donald Trump's "anti-weaponization fund," which could have paid people convicted of assaulting police during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The DOJ said in a statement June 1 that it would abide by a court ruling that put a temporary pause on the fund, ahead of a June 12 hearing. However, it didn't respond to follow-up questions ahead of Blanche's testimony on whether it was permanently giving up on the $1.776 billion effort.
The fund sparked widespread anger and a standoff between the White House and Congress, as Senate Republicans refused to move forward in recent days with an immigration enforcement spending bill until the fund was limited or scrapped.
After the June 1 DOJ statement on the temporary halt to the fund, some Republican senators said they wanted a clearer statement that the Trump administration was done pursuing it.
"We are not moving forward with the fund, period," Blanche said at the hearing.
Rep. Grace Meng, D–New York, told Blanche she hopes to see a written statement from the DOJ that it won't proceed with the fund, even after the June 12 hearing.
"I mean, I think there'll be a transcript of what I say here, so that will be in writing," Blanche said.
The acting AG nonetheless held open the possibility that the DOJ will fight against legal challenges that have been filed in court against the fund.
"Notwithstanding what we do in those litigations, and defending our rights, or making sure our rights are protected, we're not moving forward with the fund," he said.
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