The Guardian | Trump reportedly mulling retreat from $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization’ fund by George Chidi and Roque Planas

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Donald Trump is reportedly reconsidering whether to continue pursuing a $1.8 billion "anti‑weaponization" fund meant to compensate allies after a court‑ordered pause by the Justice Department; the fund, announced as part of a settlement in Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS, has sparked fierce political backlash, with Republicans warning of a lack of oversight and the potential to pay participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, while Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have denounced it as the president’s most brazen act of self‑dealing and vowed to force a vote to block payments, preserve records, and hold hearings. Legal challenges have already temporarily blocked disbursements after a lawsuit by Democracy Forward, and figures such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former Vice President Mike Pence have urged the administration to shut the fund down, with several states proposing taxes on any distributions.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/01/senate-democrats-challenge-trump-slush-fund

#DonaldTrump #JohnThune #ChuckSchumer #IRS #uspolitics #MikePence

Trump reportedly mulling retreat from $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Democrats decry president’s ‘most brazen act of self-dealing yet’ and vow to challenge fund in Congress

The Guardian
U.S. President Donald Trump's nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of alleged government "weaponization" has been put on hold after the White House faced fierce opposition from Republicans in Congress. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/06/02/world/politics/trump-weaponization-republican-opposition/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #us #donaldtrump #johnthune #toddblanche #usimmigrationandcustomsenforcement #usborderpatrol
Trump’s ‘weaponization’ fund put on hold after fierce opposition from Congress

The nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who said they had been the subject of government abuse has sparked uproar, including from Republican senators.

The Japan Times

L'Unità: Trump si regala lo scudo fiscale per sé, famiglia e aziende: dal dipartimento di Giustizia stop alle verifiche sul presidente

Uno scudo fiscale “tombale” per sé, la sua famiglia e le sue aziende. È l’ultima mossa, clamorosa, di Donald Trump, che sin dal suo ritorno alla Casa Bianca ha inteso il suo mandato come quello di un sovrano assoluto, una monarchia poco “illuminata”.
È in quest’ottica che va letto l’accordo che il dipartimento di Giustizia ha segretamente ampliato tra lo stesso Trump e l’agenzia delle entrate americana includendo una clausola che impedisce all’IRS, l’Internal Revenue Service, di avanzare pretese fiscali nei confronti del presidente, della sua famiglia e delle sue attività imprenditoriali racchiuse nella Trump Organization.
La clausola prevede che all’IRS sia “permanentemente precluso” di rivendicare qualsiasi pretesa o richiesta di risarcimento danni che sia stata o avrebbe potuto essere avanzata nei confronti di Trump prima del raggiungimento dell’accordo. Secondo il dipartimento di Giustizia, guidato ad interim da ministro Todd Blanche, ex avvocato personale di Trump, l’intesa riguarda i controlli già esistenti e non eventuali verifiche future, ma il significato politico resta immutato e non ha precedenti.
Un accordo raggiunto nell’ambito del ritiro da parte del presidente della causa da 10 miliardi contro l’agenzia e soprattutto di un secondo provvedimento a dir poco controverso, ovvero quello che ha comportato la creazione dell’Anti-Weaponization Fund, un fondo da 1,776 miliardi di dollari pensato per compensare persone che ritengono di essere state perseguitate politicamente dal dipartimento di Giustizia negli anni di Joe Biden.
Accordi, sia quello tra Trump e l’agenzia delle entrare sia quello che portato alla creazione dell’Anti-Weaponization Fund, criticato non solo dagli esponenti Democratici ma anche da una parte dei Repubblicani: il problema segnalato è che il fondo potrebbe provocare l’uso di soldi pubblici per risarcire i protagonisti dell’assalto del 6 gennaio 2021 a Capitol Hill, i supporter trumpiani (tra l’altro in larga parte già graziati) spinti dal tycoon a protestare e contestare il risultato delle presidenziali del 2020 che videro Trump sconfitto da Biden. John Thune, leader della maggioranza Repubblicana al Senato, ha detto di “non vedere lo scopo” del fondo, mentre Bill Cassidy lo ha definito apertamente una “cassa nera”.

Trump buys tax shield for himself, family and companies: the Department of Justice halts investigations into the president.

A “massive” tax shield for himself, his family, and his companies. It’s the latest, dramatic move by Donald Trump, who since his return to the White House has intended his term as one of an absolute sovereign, a little “unenlightened” monarchy.

It is in this light that the agreement reached between the Department of Justice and the same Trump and the American tax agency, which secretly expanded to include a clause that prevents the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service, from making tax claims against the president, his family, and his business activities within the Trump Organization, should be read.

The clause stipulates that the IRS is “permanently prohibited” from asserting any claims or demands for damages that have been or could have been made against Trump before the agreement was reached. According to the Department of Justice, led ad interim by Todd Blanche, former personal attorney to Trump, the agreement concerns existing audits and not any future ones, but the political significance remains unchanged and unprecedented.

An agreement reached as part of the president’s withdrawal from the lawsuit against the agency and, above all, a second, little short of controversial measure, namely that which led to the creation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, a fund of $1.776 billion intended to compensate people who believe they have been politically persecuted by the Department of Justice during the years of Joe Biden.

Agreements, both that between Trump and the tax agency and that which led to the creation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, criticized not only by Democratic figures but also by a part of the Republicans: the problem highlighted is that the fund could lead to the use of public money to compensate the protagonists of the January 6, 2021 attack on Capitol Hill, Trump supporters (among others already granted clemency) pushed by the tycoon to protest and contest the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Trump was defeated by Biden. John Thune, Republican majority leader in the Senate, said he “does not see the purpose” of the fund, while Bill Cassidy openly called it a “black box.”

#DonaldTrump #theWhiteHouse #Trump #American #ToddBlanche #second #JoeBiden #Democratic #Republicans #CapitolHill #Biden #JohnThune #Republican #Senate #BillCassidy

https://www.unita.it/2026/05/20/trump-scudo-fiscale-famiglia-aziende-accordo-dipartimento-giustizia/

@ponderingpolitics.bsky.social reacts to #SenateRepublicanLeader #JohnThune PUBLICLY condemning Donald Trumps $1.776 BILLION taxpayer-funded slush fund as Trump's top #TreasuryDepartment lawyer resigns in protest. A sudden change of heart? or did he see his BAR license gone? youtu.be/WwOL_MV8gh4?...

🚨 Senate GOP leader SLAMS Trum...
🚨 Senate GOP leader SLAMS Trump as top Trump lawyer QUITS

YouTube

The way the system is supposed to work is that if a US President is clearly corrupt and committing 'high crimes and misdemeanors' and repeatedly failing to uphold his Oath to the Constitution, then Congress is supposed to step in and put a stop to it.

So at this point in the #Trump administration, these two spineless enablers are responsible for allowing the blatant #Fraud, #Waste, and #Abuse to continue.

Congress do your job!!!

#Congress #MikeJohnson #JohnThune #House #Senate #USPol #Trump #War #Iran #China #DOD #DOJ #NoKings #Resist #Protest #Democracy

Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirms the GOP is prepared to rapidly confirm a Supreme Court replacement if Justice Samuel Alito retires before the November 2026 midterms. Chuck Grassley has already floated Senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz for the seat. #SupremeCourt #USPolitics #JohnThune #SenateGOP
https://blazetrends.com/senate-gop-prepares-rapid-supreme-court-confirmation-as-justice-alito-retirement-rumors-swirl/?fsp_sid=709
Senate GOP Prepares Rapid Supreme Court Confirmation as Justice Alito Retirement Rumors Swirl

Senate Republicans are rapidly organizing a contingency plan to confirm a new Supreme Court justice before the November 2026 midterm elections. The

Blaze Trends
The token #Republican pushback to Trump’s genocidal threat to destroy a “whole civilization” was less notable than the silence of House Speaker #MikeJohnson and Senate Majority Leader #JohnThune, but represented the first sign of dissent about the war spreading www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...

Republicans Speak Out Against ...
Republicans Speak Out Against Trump's 'Whole Civilization' Threat

Party leaders stayed silent Tuesday about Trump's genocidal threat, but dissent within the ranks could grow.

HuffPost
Partial shutdown drags on as US House takes no action on compromise deal

Senate-passed funding plan for DHS languishes despite agreement between Republican congressional leaders

The Guardian

'You are all frauds!' MAGA loses its mind as Mike Johnson surrenders on DHS funding

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.rawstory.com/maga-dhs-funding/

Pressed on what specifically would be funded, #SenateMajorityLeader #JohnThune said, “I think it’ll be everything but #ICE and #CBP today. So, we’ll have to do the rest of that,” though he noted, “I think customs, they cleared customs” but NOT #borderpatrol. www.cnn.com/2026/03/27/p...

Senate unanimously moves to fu...
Senate unanimously moves to fund most of DHS, except ICE and border patrol, in rare overnight session

The Senate unanimously moved to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and part of Customs and Border Protection, in a rare overnight session.

CNN