Republicans who fell for Blanche 'being made absolute fools': ex-prosecutor

U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 4, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori trounced Republicans willing to accept new Attorney General Todd Blanche's claims about a possible "slush fund" being dead.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dr. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) all took issue with President Donald Trump's push to create a $1.8 billion "slush fund" for people who believe they were unfairly targeted by the federal government.

CNN's Boris Sanchez and Brianna Keilar asked the lawyer on Thursday, about Blanche's speech to the Justice Department this week as he officially took over as attorney general. The speech restated that he would not establish the anti-weaponization fund. But Khardori said that Blanche doesn't need to. A fund already exists, and the Trump administration has been using it.

"They have a readilyavailable recourse. Actually,many of these Jan. 6thdefendants have submitted claims ... under the Federal Tort Claims Act against thegovernment connected to theirthe charges against them," Khardori explained.

In those cases, Blanche and the Trump administration "can settle thosecases and make payouts on a 1-to-1 basis, rather than out of afund, and can do so potentiallywithout — well can do so withoutany judicial oversight andpotentially without the publiceven knowing."

The ex-prosecutor called it "unfortunate" but said the situation was "eminently predictable."

"All I have to say to the Republican senators who fell forthe dog-and-pony show aroundthis fund and it being dead andtook the, you know, thesignature on the piece of paperfrom Todd Blanche as if it putthis to bed. They're being madeabsolute fools of," said Khardori.

As The Guardian explained about the Federal Tort Claims Act, "The Justice Department has complete and unchecked discretion over whether to settle the claims, giving the Trump administration a powerful vehicle to reward those responsible for violence on January 6."

“If the Treasury Department is not going to enforce the restrictions on the use of the judgment fund, which is to settle impending or imminent lawsuits where there’s some risk of liability, then there’s no limit on what you can use that judgment fund money for, so long as someone files a bogus claim,” said Rupa Bhattacharyya, former director of the DOJ's director in the civil division’s tort branch.

Peter Ticktin, a Florida attorney and friend of Trump's, said he's filed about 400 claims for cash from Jan. 6 attackers who were either found guilty or pleaded guilty for their crimes.

One of those demanding $2.5 million is Andrew Taake, a Houston man who pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer with bear spray and a whip-like weapon. He was sentenced six years in prison until he was pardoned by Trump.

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