Acting AG Todd Blanche rescinds $1.8 billion Trump fund

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally rescinded a $1.8 billion fund established by the Trump administration, a move intended to clear the path for his Senate confirmation. The announcement came late on Sunday, August 2, 2026, after weeks of negotiations with two Republican senators who had been blocking his nomination over the controversial "anti-weaponization" fund.

The fund, created as part of a May 2026 legal settlement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service, was intended to compensate individuals who claimed to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The same settlement also provided Trump and his family with broad protections from tax audits. Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had insisted on a formal, written termination of the fund as a condition for supporting Blanche's nomination to become attorney general.

In a signed order posted on social media, Blanche declared the fund rescinded and without force or effect. The order stated it established "beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund." A spokesperson for Senator Cornyn confirmed the...