$1.8 billion Trump give away is said to be no more

Headline USA  -   The proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is no more.  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed in remarks to the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that the Department of Justice is walking away from the initiative.

“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche told lawmakers in a tense hearing, later adding: “The reasons for the fund, I think, remain as important as they were before, but we are not moving forward with the fund.”...

Blanche’s remarks mark the latest sign that the DOJ has abandoned the effort entirely.

The fund was first announced in a May 18 press release after Trump settled a civil lawsuit against the IRS over the agency’s failure to prevent the leak of his confidential tax-return information to the legacy media.

His comments also followed two federal court rulings tied to the settlement.

First, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, a Clinton appointee, on May 29 issued a temporary restraining order blocking the fund after a lawsuit filed by a former federal prosecutor who claimed he was fired for his role in the aggressive targeting of Jan. 6 defendants.

Separately, U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams of Florida also on May 29 revived Trump’s case against the IRS after a group of former judges urged her to do so in an amicus brief.

CNBC -    Trump, his family members and related business entities remain protected from tax audits and enforcement actions in connection with tax returns filed before last month's out-of-court settlement of his lawsuit, Blanche said. "We are not moving forward with the fund, period," Blanche told Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

NPR - In a rare occurrence, the fund has prompted many Republicans, especially in the Senate, to publicly oppose Trump, NPR’s Ryan Lucas says. Many Republicans disliked the possibility that payouts could go to Capitol rioters who attacked police on Jan. 6, 2021. This Republican pushback has stalled some of the administration’s legislative priorities, including funding for immigration enforcement. From the beginning, Democrats have criticized the fund, arguing that it would serve as a slush fund that allows the president to give nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to his supporters and allies.