The Trump administration was forced to publicly declare the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization” slush fund canceled after widespread and bipartisan outrage from the public and lawmakers over the idea that tax money would be diverted to pay off Trump’s allies. But Justice Department officials have revealed it’s not actually dead — just under wraps.
According to The Atlantic, eight Trump administration insiders “said that Justice Department officials and people close to the White House have indicated that the payout idea has not actually been scrapped. Rather, they say, officials are exploring whether elements of the fund can be reactivated while also examining alternative arrangements to make sure loyalists get compensated.”
These officials said the plans to pay off Trump allies on the side are “being kept quiet while the Trump administration waits for opposition to the fund to blow over,” and particularly until Todd Blanche has been confirmed as attorney general permanently, out of fear a handful of maverick Republicans like Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) could block the process.
One proposal for how it would work would be that the same people who would have applied to the “Anti-Weaponization fund” would simply file lawsuits against the administration, which the DOJ would then quickly settle and pay out through other existing compensation funds.
All of this comes after Senate Republicans decided against including language limiting the fund in their reconciliation package to fund immigration enforcement, using the justification that the administration had agreed not to move forward with the fund.
It also comes as a federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the fund for the same reason — but warned the Justice Department not to “play possum” with the fund and enact it through other means.
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