WASHINGTON — The nation’s top law enforcement official will face congressional questioning Tuesday regarding a controversial $1.776 billion compensation program for supporters of the Republican president who claim they were politically persecuted.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will deliver his first testimony to lawmakers since taking charge of the Justice Department, appearing before a Senate appropriations subcommittee as the agency draws criticism for establishing what officials call the “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
Opposition lawmakers have condemned the fund as an unlawful misuse of authority intended to funnel taxpayer money to the president’s supporters. The fund’s creation was revealed Monday, sparking immediate backlash.
Since taking leadership of the Justice Department, Blanche has rapidly implemented the president’s agenda — pursuing legal action against the president’s political opponents, restricting information leaks to news organizations, and creating the compensation program for individuals who claim mistreatment by the previous administration’s Justice Department.
While Tuesday’s hearing was scheduled to review the administration’s Justice Department budget proposal, lawmakers are expected to probe broader controversies that have raised alarms about the department’s traditional independence from presidential influence.
Congressional members plan to challenge Blanche about the fund, which is designed to settle the president’s legal dispute with the Internal Revenue Service regarding leaked tax documents. Close to 100 House Democrats have filed a legal document asking a judge to prevent what they call an unprecedented settlement that would unfairly benefit the president’s associates and encourage baseless claims of political targeting.
“Let’s call this what it is: a billion-dollar slush fund for Trump to reward felons, insurrectionists, and cronies, paid for by YOUR taxpayer dollars,” Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, a member of the subcommittee from Delaware, wrote on X. “It’s bad enough that this DOJ believes it works for Donald Trump. Now, it’s giving him its budget to use as his piggy bank.”
Defending the program Monday, Blanche said the fund will enable individuals who believe they faced politically motivated prosecution to request compensation through what he called “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Blanche said in a statement.
The compensation program represents another example of the administration’s commitment to supporting allies who faced investigation and, in some instances, criminal charges before the president returned to power. On his first day in office, the president pardoned or reduced sentences for supporters who participated in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. His Justice Department has since authorized payments to supporters involved in the Trump-Russia investigation and pursued cases against some of his political adversaries.
