Trump pledges to pursue 'anti-weaponisation' fund amid Blanche standoff

United States President Donald Trump has again renewed his support for a controversial "anti-weaponisation fund" that bipartisan critics say would use taxpayer dollars to reward his political allies.

On Saturday, Trump took to Truth Social to attack opponents of his plans to appoint Todd Blanche as attorney general, and he pointed to the "anti-weaponisation fund" as leverage.

"It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done," Trump wrote.

The president's latest statements risk further complicating Blanche's confirmation process, though.

Blanche, who currently serves as attorney general in an interim capacity, oversaw the initial creation of the fund as part of a controversial settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Trump had initially sued the federal tax agency, which falls under his executive control, for $10bn.

Two Republicans — Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis — have held up Blanche's confirmation over the $1.776bn fund, which was designed to award compensation to individuals who claimed political persecution under Trump's election rival, former President Joe Biden.

Blanche, Trump's former criminal defence attorney, has since said the fund is dead.

But Tillis and Cornyn have argued that he has not provided sufficient guarantees to ensure the fund could not be resurrected.

Trump has done little to calm the situation. On Friday, he defended the fund's creation and what it sought to achieve. "It's dead, but you know, I wish it weren't," Trump said.

In Saturday's post, he went further. If Cornyn and Tillis did not support Blanche, Trump wrote that he would "push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill" passed.

He added that he would also keep Blanche as acting attorney general and bypass the Senate confirmation process.

"Todd Blanche was a voice of reason," Trump wrote, praising his nominee as "one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country".

Trump's use of the verb "pass", however, suggests he would appeal to Congress to establish the "anti-weaponisation" fund, rather than go through the Justice Department.

Such a legislative effort would likely prove a non-starter, with members of both parties deeply sceptical of the fund.

Critics, including law enforcement officers, fear the fund could be used to pay Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to overturn the Republican leader's 2020 election loss.

Republican leaders have also called the "anti-weaponisation fund" politically toxic ahead of US midterm elections in November.

Lawmakers last week cancelled a planned vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance Blanche for a full chamber confirmation vote. All Republicans on the committee, including Cornyn and Tillis, must support Blanche for him to advance.

In his post, Trump accused Cornyn and Tillis of pursuing a political vendetta, saying they were "both upset because I wouldn't Endorse them".

Tillis announced he would retire at the end of his term in January, following tense relations with Trump. Cornyn lost his primary race to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, after Trump chose to endorse Paxton over the four-term incumbent.