Acting attorney general says Trump’s $1.8bn anti-weaponization fund is scrapped

The U.S. government has abandoned plans to establish a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" intended to compensate Donald Trump's allies, according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Despite the cancellation of the fund, a separate agreement that prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from auditing Trump, his family, and associated entities will continue to be upheld.

Blanche announced the decision during a House appropriations committee hearing on Tuesday, stating unequivocally, "We are not moving forward with the fund, period." He further indicated that the Justice Department would maintain the policy of granting immunity from IRS audits to Trump and his associates. This settlement, initially reached in relation to tax disputes, has been a point of contention and scrutiny.

The proposed fund had drawn criticism, with some legal experts decrying it as "outright theft." The initiative aimed to provide financial recourse to individuals or entities who had faced legal or governmental actions, purportedly related to "weaponization" of government agencies against them. The reversal on the fund signals a shift in the administration's approach to this specific financial arrangement, while the IRS audit immunity for Trump remains a significant point of ongoing legal and political discussion.

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We are not moving forward with the fund, period.