Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies subcommittee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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Acting Attorney General todd blanch On Tuesday, people convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot will not be denied permission to seek payments from a new Justice Department fund created to compensate people who claim they were politically targeted by the Biden administration.
Pressed at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Blanch said, “Anyone in this country can apply for the new $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund”” and said a commission would decide the rules for who could receive compensation.
When Blanch was asked whether Proud Boys members, Oath Keepers or others convicted of attacking Capitol Police officers could get paid, she said, “The commission will set the rules.” “That’s not for me to decide. That’s for the commissioners.”
Blanch also declined to commit that donors to President Donald Trump’s campaigns would be excluded from the fund, saying only that payments would be governed by the settlement agreement.
When asked, “Will you commit that no one in President Trump’s family will receive direct payments from this fund?” Blanche replied, “Yes.”
The exchange came a day after the DOJ announced the funds as part of a settlement with Trump that also included withdrew its $10 billion lawsuit Against the Internal Revenue Service over the leaking of your tax returns.
Democrats on the panel criticized Blanche over the funds.
Senator Jack Reed, DRI “All of this appears to be a clear abuse of power by the Justice Department by the President,” he told Blanch. “You’re his appointee, the IRS is his appointee, he’s the plaintiff, and the American people, I don’t think, are surprised that suddenly all this money is going to his friends or people who are in his class.”
The DOJ said Monday that the fund would create a process for people who claim they were victims of “weapons and laws” to seek financial compensation or a formal apology.
The hearing also discussed the resignation of Treasury Department General Counsel Brian Morrissey, which is said to be related to the creation of the fund, although CNBC has not confirmed the reason.
Asked whether it was a coincidence that Morrissey resigned on the same day the Treasury was required to certify the payment, Blanch said, “I don’t know if it’s a coincidence,” adding that he had not investigated why Morrissey resigned.
A Treasury spokesperson told CNBC: “As General Counsel, Brian Morrissey has served the United States Treasury with both honor and integrity. We wish him the best of luck in his next endeavors.”
Democrats and government watchdogs are denouncing the fund as a taxpayer-supported “slush fund” to reward Trump allies.
Blanch rejected that characterization on Tuesday, insisting on the claim that Trump had created a fund that would allow his appointees to decide which political aides receive taxpayer-funded payments.
“This is not a dirty fund,” said Blanche. “It’s been done many times.”
The Justice Department has not yet issued detailed eligibility rules for the fund, which will be overseen by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general.