U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to revive a controversial compensation fund for his supporters if two Republican senators continue to withhold support for his nominee for Attorney General, raising fresh uncertainty over a Senate confirmation vote scheduled for next week.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump said he would retain Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his current role and move ahead with plans for the proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund” if Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina refuse to back Blanche’s nomination.
The president’s latest comments mark a reversal from remarks made a day earlier, when he suggested the proposed fund had been abandoned amid negotiations with Senate Republicans.
The administration is seeking the support of Cornyn and Tillis to secure Blanche’s confirmation, but both senators have expressed reservations over the nominee because of a legal settlement that created a $1.8 billion compensation fund for individuals who claim to have been unfairly treated by the criminal justice system. The settlement also granted Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits, a provision that has drawn criticism.
Despite indications on Friday that negotiations were progressing, Saturday’s comments from Trump cast fresh doubt over the confirmation process.
“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals in the country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G. and push hard” to restore the fund, Trump wrote.
The president defended the proposed initiative, arguing that it was intended to compensate individuals whom he believes were unfairly targeted during the administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Trump’s renewed support for the fund comes after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley rescheduled a committee vote on Blanche’s nomination for Tuesday. Grassley had earlier postponed the vote to allow the White House more time to secure the necessary Republican support before the Senate begins its August recess.
A spokesperson for the committee said the Iowa senator hopes Blanche can be confirmed before lawmakers adjourn for the recess.
However, Trump’s latest remarks have complicated those efforts, prompting renewed criticism from some Republicans.
Responding on X, Senator Thom Tillis, who is retiring at the end of his current term, accused the president of attempting to revive what he described as an inappropriate compensation scheme.
Despite Trump’s earlier claim that the proposal had been abandoned, Tillis said the president “clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot” either by creating another fund or asking Congress to approve legislation that, according to him, would face opposition from most Republican senators.
The dispute has added another layer of uncertainty to Blanche’s confirmation prospects and highlighted ongoing divisions within the Republican Party over Trump’s influence and his approach to the justice system.
