Trump AG to beg Republicans for slush fund that GOP leaders call 'tyranny'

On Thursday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will meet with congressional Republicans to push for acceptance of the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement that has been widely criticized as a “slush fund” for J6ers. According to Bloomberg, Republicans have major questions about the fund, with some going so far as to call it “tyranny.”

Among these skeptical Republicans is Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who told reporters that Republicans want “an explanation of how it’s going to work,” saying, “We want to hear the Attorney General out about his view of this, and what they intend to do with that.” He noted that Republicans have “very legitimate questions” about the fund and want to “make sure that it’s fenced in appropriately.”

“Very legitimate questions” may be putting it lightly, as some senior GOP leaders are using harsher language to express their feelings on the matter.

“I think it’s stupid on stilts,” said Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) Thursday morning. “It will invariably put us in a position where your taxpayer dollars and my taxpayer dollars could potentially compensate someone who assaulted a police officer, admitted their guilt, got convicted, got pardoned, and now we are going to pay them for that. That’s absurd. When you take money from me to give to a purpose that I vehemently disagree with, that's tyranny, and that's what that account is.” Later, as he entered the meeting with Blanche, Tillis referred to the fund as a “payout pot for punks.”

Meanwhile, there is a bipartisan effort underway to kill the fund. According to Politico, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) have drafted text they will unveil soon. As Fitzpatrick explained, he and his constituents “don’t want a DOJ slush fund that has not been described or explained to anybody.”

The fight over the fund comes at a crucial moment for Republicans, who are wrangling over an already sky-high $72 billion budget they hope to submit to President Donald Trump by Friday. While the budget primarily focuses on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, an early draft indicates $1.457 billion for the Department of Justice — the cash necessary to cover the fund would more than double that.

If Republicans decide to balk at Blanche’s request, it will represent yet another funding setback for Trump. Earlier in the week, Senate Democrats successfully torpedoed a Republican attempt to secure tax dollars for Trump’s highly controversial ballroom project, the cost of which has ballooned from $400 million the president said would be covered by private donors, to as much as $1 billion that would be paid by taxpayers.