Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Judiciary, Science, and Related Agencies, May 19, 2026, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday he would not rule out allowing people convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot to seek payments from a new Justice Department fund created to compensate people who say they were politically targeted by the Biden administration.
Asked during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Blanche said “anyone in this country can apply” for the new $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, and that the committee would decide the rules for who can receive compensation.
“The committee will set the rules,” Blanche said when asked if members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, or others convicted of attacking Capitol Police officers could receive a reward. “That’s not for me to decide. That’s for the commissioner to decide.”
Blanche also declined to promise that donors to President Donald Trump’s campaign would be excluded from the fund, saying only that the payments would comply with the settlement agreement.
When asked, “Do you promise that no one in President Trump’s family will receive a direct payment from this fund?” Blanche answered, “Yes.”
The exchange came a day after the Justice Department announced the fund as part of an agreement with President Trump that included dropping a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over leaked tax returns.
Democrats on the committee criticized Blanche’s fund.
“This all seems like a clear abuse of power by the Department of Justice and the president,” Sen. Jack Reed, D.R.I., told Blanche. “You’re his appointee, the IRS is his appointee, he’s the plaintiff, and I don’t think the American people are surprised that all of a sudden all this money is going to his friends and people in his orbit.”
The Justice Department announced Monday that the fund will create a process for people who say they are victims of “weapons and misconduct” to seek financial compensation or a formal apology.
The hearing also touched on the resignation of Treasury Department general counsel Brian Morrissey, who is reportedly linked to the creation of the fund, but CNBC has not confirmed the reason.
Asked if it was a coincidence that Mr Morrissey resigned on the same day that the Treasury asked for proof of the payment, Mr Blanche said: “I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not,” adding that he had not confirmed why Mr Morrissey resigned.
“Brian Morrissey has served the U.S. Department of the Treasury with both honor and integrity as general counsel, and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” a Treasury Department spokesperson told CNBC.
Democrats and government watchdogs have accused the fund of being a taxpayer-backed “slush fund” meant to reward Trump supporters.
Blanche on Tuesday rejected that characterization and pushed back on claims that President Trump created a fund that would allow him to decide which political allies receive taxpayer money.
“This is not a slush fund,” Blanche said. “It’s been done many times.”
The Justice Department has not yet released detailed rules regarding eligibility for the fund, which will be overseen by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general.
