Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche assured lawmakers on Tuesday that President Trump and his family won’t be able to claim any of the money from the new $1.776 billion fund set up this week to pay people who were the focus of Biden administration legal proceedings.
Mr. Trump agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the government establishing the Anti-Weaponization Fund.
That left Democrats fuming over worries that the fund would pay him or his family. But Mr. Blanche said the settlement means they won’t have a claim.
“He will not,” Mr. Blanche said.
But he declined to rule out people convicted — and later pardoned by Mr. Trump — for their behavior during the intrusion into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
He said that will be up to the five-member commission that will administer the fund. He will appoint all of those members, though one of the appointments must be done after consultation with Congress.
Mr. Blanche said just about anyone can apply.
“It’s not limited to Republicans, it’s not limited to the Biden weaponization, it’s not limited in any way, scope or form to Jan. 6 or Jack Smith,” he said. Mr. Smith was the Biden administration special counsel who pursued criminal charges against Mr. Trump.
The acting DOJ chief said he will get a quarterly report on the fund’s activities and he will make that public, though some of the information about specific claimants may have to be withheld under privacy laws.
