Overview
- On Monday, Aug. 3, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a formal order revoking the May 18 directive and stating explicitly that “there is no fund.”
- Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis removed their opposition after the written rescission and said they will support Blanche in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The proposed fund, reported at about $1.8 billion, flowed from a settlement tied to President Trump’s private lawsuit against the IRS and had been intended to compensate people who claimed politically motivated prosecutions.
- Critics and some lawmakers said the plan lacked a clear statutory basis, offered limited public oversight, and risked directing federal money to politically connected figures including those tied to the Jan. 6 prosecutions.
- The committee vote is scheduled for this week and the full Senate will decide next, leaving unresolved questions about how the settlement was struck, the fund’s legal footing, and what the episode signals about presidential influence over the Justice Department.