Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies hearing on the fiscal year 2027 budget request for the Department of Justice in the Dirksen Senate Office Building near the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, in a Senate hearing Tuesday, refused to rule out payments to convicted Jan. 6, 2021, rioters and Jeffrey Epstein-related sexual abuse perpetrators as part of the Justice Department's controversial $1.776 billion fund.
This new "Anti-Weaponization Fund," announced by the department Monday, was created to compensate President Donald Trump's allies who say they were unfairly targeted by the former Democratic Biden administration.
The fund is consistent with the Trump administration's efforts to compensate his allies, including Jan. 6 offenders whom the president pardoned when he regained office in 2025, according to Democratic senators in the hearing.
Democrats and some Republicans questioned the validity of the legality of claims and the need to spend that many taxpayer dollars at a time of inflation and a costly war in Iran.
