Trump says settlement fund is 'dead' even as he defends it

Key Points:

• President Trump declared his $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" dead but continued to defend the idea, complicating negotiations with Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis who are blocking his attorney general nominee, Todd Blanche.
• Cornyn and Tillis demand written assurances that the fund will not be revived before supporting Blanche’s confirmation, citing concerns about potential compensation to individuals prosecuted in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack.
• Blanche’s nomination has been delayed in the Senate Judiciary Committee due to these unresolved issues, with ongoing but inconclusive negotiations between the senators and the Justice Department.
• The dispute also involves clarifications on a settlement granting Trump and his family immunity from tax audits, which Cornyn wants explicitly limited to past audits and parties involved in litigation.
• Some Republican senators have expressed opposition to the settlement and fund, criticizing it as inappropriate compensation for individuals involved in the Capitol riot, while Trump’s legal team plans to appeal a judge’s ruling criticizing the settlement as self-dealing.