Trump Threatens to Revive $1.8bn Fund as Senators Block Attorney General Nomination
President Trump says he will keep Todd Blanche as acting attorney general and push for an anti-weaponization bill if two Republican senators continue to withhold support over the fund's status.
President Donald Trump on Saturday issued an ultimatum to Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, stating that if they do not approve his nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche, he will keep Blanche in the acting role and press Congress to pass legislation creating a compensation fund for alleged victims of political persecution. The threat, posted on Truth Social, directly links the stalled confirmation to the fate of a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that the two senators have demanded be formally abandoned.
Cornyn and Tillis, both Republicans whose Senate terms end in January, have conditioned their support for Blanche on written assurances that the Justice Department will not resurrect the fund. Tillis, in a response on X, called the fund a “payout pot for punks” and said Trump “clearly intends to resurrect” it, adding that Blanche “will not be confirmed because of this reversal.” Cornyn, who lost his primary after Trump endorsed his opponent, has pressed Blanche during his confirmation hearing on whether there is a written agreement to modify the settlement that created the fund; Blanche replied that the fund is “just not moving forward.” Both senators have also objected to provisions in the settlement that would shield Trump and his associates from certain IRS audits.
The fund originated from a legal settlement of a lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax records. It was designed to compensate individuals who claim they were politically targeted, potentially including those prosecuted for the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the fund, and the Justice Department has said it will not proceed, but the administration has not pledged in writing to abandon it permanently. Trump, at a Cabinet meeting on Friday, said the fund was “dead” but expressed a wish to see people compensated. If the Senate does not confirm Blanche, he can remain as acting attorney general indefinitely while his nomination is pending, and Trump has previously suggested he could resubmit the nomination next year after Cornyn and Tillis leave office.
The standoff reflects a broader tension between Trump and the two lame-duck senators, whom Trump accused of being “upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them.” Cornyn lost his primary in May to Trump-backed Ken Paxton, while Tillis announced his retirement after clashing with Trump over a domestic policy package. The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley, has scheduled a vote on Blanche’s nomination for Tuesday morning, with a statement saying Grassley wants the nomination to succeed and hopes to confirm Blanche before the August recess. Tillis expressed hope that the matter could be resolved by Tuesday.
| Atlantic / Anglosphere press | −0.40 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Arab Gulf press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Latin American press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Arab Levant-Maghreb press | 0.00 | neutral |
The American judicial system is threatened by a president who uses public funds to reward loyalty and punish dissent. The rebel senators are portrayed as the last line of defense.
It builds a hierarchy of threats: first the two senators, then the fund, then the weakening of justice, escalating the stakes.
The Gulf follows with detachment an internal American dispute, taking no side. The news is a piece of US political chronicle.
It universalizes the episode as normal domestic politics, avoiding judgment and normalizing the threat of the fund.
It omits the criticisms of the fund and the context of abuse of power present in the Atlantic press, presenting the matter as a normal negotiation.
Latin America records the dispute as a power struggle in the United States, without local emphasis. The news is framed as foreign news.
It distances the episode through a descriptive tone, without attributing responsibility or judgment, reducing tension to a normal fact.
It omits the critical analyses from the Atlantic press on abuse of power, reducing complexity to a mere congressional negotiation.
The Arab world records Trump's threat as an episode of internal American political struggle, without aligning.
It limits itself to translating official statements, avoiding analysis that could imply a judgment on US politics.
It omits the context of criticism of the fund and the implications for American justice, reducing the news to a mere statement.
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