Todd Blanche rescinds Trump's 'anti-weaponization fund' ahead of nomination hearing

Key Points:

• Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally terminated President Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund," following negotiations with Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who had been blocking his nomination to become attorney general.
• The Justice Department clarified that no funds were transferred, no claims paid, and no process established for the fund, officially rescinding the May 18, 2026 order and confirming the fund is definitively ended.
• The order also limits tax audit immunity for Trump and his family to only apply retroactively to claims open at the time of the settlement, excluding future tax filings from protection.
• Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both critical of the fund and blocking Blanche's confirmation, sought written assurance that the fund would not proceed before supporting his nomination.
• Despite the termination of the fund, Trump continues to support the settlement and has threatened to resubmit Blanche's nomination after the senators leave office; his legal team is appealing a judge's ruling that criticized the IRS settlement as self-dealing.