Overview
- Todd Blanche said the fund is "dead" and signed an order rescinding the $1.776 billion account in the run-up to his confirmation, a pledge that helped win key Republican votes.
- Blanche reiterated at his first news conference Wednesday that no money was ever disbursed and no commission for the fund was installed.
- Senators who had held Blanche’s nomination, including John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, cited the rescission as decisive in their narrow votes to confirm him.
- Reporting across outlets notes that existing mechanisms such as the Federal Tort Claims Act, the permanent Judgment Fund, ordinary settlements, or future legislation could still channel taxpayer money to claimants.
- The dispute has triggered judicial scrutiny, bipartisan criticism of possible self-dealing tied to settlement talks with the White House, and ongoing litigation that keeps oversight and legal questions active.