Topline
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will face Congress on Tuesday as he testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he’s likely to face heated questioning about the Justice Department’s decision to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS by opening a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to help Jan. 6 rioters and other Trump allies.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche conducts a news conference at the Department of Justice on April 27.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Facts
Blanche is testifying Tuesday in front of the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, starting at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
The hearing marks Blanche’s first time testifying to Congress as acting attorney general, after he replaced former AG Pam Bondi in April.
While the hearing is focused on the DOJ’s 2027 budget proposal, Blanche is likely to be questioned about the settlement fund, in which the Trump administration committed $1.776 billion toward helping “victims of lawfare and weaponization,” and will be run by a five-person committee made up of people appointed by the attorney general.
The settlement fund has already drawn widespread outrage from Democratic lawmakers, with Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., saying Tuesday it is “a heist and a disgrace.”
Blanche, who previously worked as Trump’s personal attorney before joining the DOJ, has also come under fire for playing a role in establishing and overseeing the fund, with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee opening a probe Tuesday into whether the acting AG had been advised to recuse himself from overseeing his former client’s 10-figure settlement.
What We Don’t Know
There are still a number of outstanding questions about the “anti-weaponization fund,” including when payouts will start and who exactly will receive one. People who claim to have been victimized by the Justice Department can voluntarily apply for relief through the fund, which will provide both “formal apologies” and monetary compensation. It’s unclear if the public will find out exactly where the money goes, however: The terms of the settlement require the fund to detail its activities to the attorney general in a “confidential written report,” rather than be listed publicly.