Lead summary from NYT > U.S. > Politics
The president vowed to push for the payout fund if Senate Republicans fail to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, reigniting a dispute over the settlement.
13 distinct publishers were connected to this story across 3 perspective groups.
Frequently repeated terms include trump, blanche, fund, weaponization, todd, anti.
Bias labels describe the publisher’s general editorial orientation, not the accuracy or viewpoint of every individual article.
7 publishers
The president vowed to push for the payout fund if Senate Republicans fail to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, reigniting a dispute over the settlement.
Read at NYT > U.S. > Politics →President Donald Trump's sudden about-face on his so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund" stunned critics who argued he threw a dangerous "tantrum" ahead of a crucial political contest.Trump's Truth Social claim — that he no longer considers his controversial $1.8 billion fund to be "dead," as he asserted at Camp David just the day before — swiftly drew criticism on Saturday morning. "Trump doesn’t have the votes for this," Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis. "Republican senators have already voted against the fund, and even more against paying rioters who beat police officers who Trump pardoned."The president did not address the problem of support in his early morning post, he simply asserted he would "push hard" to get the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" passed. His assertion came after a vote to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was delayed by two Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, both of whom demanded written proof that the fund was dead. "If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche," Trump wrote, "then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill."NBC correspondent Julie Tsirkin responded Saturday morning with a social media post quietly supportive of the senators' push for physical proof the fund was off the table. "President Trump’s insistence that his anti-weaponization fund is not only not going away, but now he wants LEGISLATION to codify it, is exactly why Senators Cornyn and Tillis wouldn’t take Todd Blanche’s word for it," she wrote. The group Republicans Against Trump slammed Trump's message as being poorly timed considering mounting conservative fears the could soon lose the majority in the Senate. "Great messaging ahead of the midterms," the group quipped. Tara Setmayer, CEO of the Democratic super PAC Seneca Project, argued Trump had just made a proven liar out of the man he wants to lead the Department of Justice. "Trump throws another temper tantrum and vows to fight for the Jan 6th slush fund to be passed," she wrote. "Totally confirming the fund was never 'dead' like Blanche claimed. This is why Cornyn & Tillis couldn’t get it in writing. This is outrageous and should be a campaign issue." George Conway, the longstanding Trump critic, took aim at his old foe's mental stamina. "Trump is utterly, completely detached from reality," he wrote. Tillis (R-NC) vowed to block Blanche's nomination over what he described as Trump's "payout for punks."
Read at Raw Story →The Trump administration is still pushing lawmakers to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, even as President Trump defends the "anti-weaponization" fund holding Blanche's confirmation hostage.The big picture: The "anti-weaponization" fund has been the red line for Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). The lawmakers have refused to vote for Blanche until the DOJ put into writing that aspects of the deal aren't moving forward.Trump said Friday the fund is dead, but he didn't seem happy about it."I wish it weren't [dead]," Trump said of the fund. He added that he wanted to see people who "were horribly treated, horribly abused" by the government be compensated. Friction point: Tillis seemed to take issue with Trump defending the fund on Truth Social, retweeting a screenshot of the president's words on Friday and writing that Trump had "made it clear" that the fund "is still alive.""I will continue working in good faith to put an end [to] this legal and political albatross and prevent any potential misallocation of taxpayer dollars," Tillis wrote, adding that Blanche had been forthright in discussions.Earlier Friday, the president went after Cornyn, and said he would "always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure."Cornyn also re-shared a post Friday that said it "does not sound like citizen Trump has agreed to end the Fund."Catch up quick: The president on Thursday floated withdrawing Blanche's name and keeping him on in an acting capacity until Cornyn and Tillis leave the Senate this January.But on Friday, Trump said Blanche should be "immediately approved," a call seconded by members of his administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a Friday post that the Senate shouldn't go on recess until Blanche is confirmed.The White House also released a demand to confirm Blanche "without delay" on its website Friday with a list of endorsements from law enforcement groups, former DOJ officials and members of Congress, among others.What we're watching: While the battle over Blanche plays out in Washington, attorneys for the president said Friday that they'd appeal a Miami-based federal judge's order that blasted the extraordinary deal to drop the IRS suit against his own government.U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams wrote in her scathing order earlier this month that the lawsuit had been a "bad faith" means to an end and blocked the parties from referring to the settlement in any official proceedings — but Trump is still fighting.Go deeper: The major controversies stalling Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination
Read at Axios →President calls for former personal defense lawyer to be ‘immediately approved’ as attorney generalDonald Trump has defended controversial plans for a $1.8bn slush fund even as they threaten to derail the nomination of his former personal lawyer Todd Blanche for US attorney general.Blanche “should be immediately approved” by the US Senate, the president declared in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday morning, defending the payout scheme proposed by his officials in the Department of Justice as it holds up Blanche’s confirmation. Continue reading...
Read at US news | The Guardian →The president seems less willing to let go of $1.8 billion than his pick for attorney general.
Read at The Atlantic →Trump officials are urging the Senate to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general as Republican holdouts threaten to derail his nomination.
Read at TIME →President Donald Trump defended his controversial proposal for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” for Jan. 6 defendants, complicating Todd Blanche’s nomination.
Read at NBC News Politics →2 publishers
Todd Blanche previously repeatedly told Congress the "anti-weaponization fund" was "dead."
Read at Politics - CBSNews.com →President Trump and his Cabinet are gathered at Camp David for their 13th Cabinet meeting of his second term. Among the new faces at the table are Jay Clayton, incoming director of national intelligence, and Keith Sonderling, secretary of Labor. In questions with reporters, Trump lambasted the Senate, specifically Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), for not…
Read at The Hill News →4 publishers
Trump publicly broke with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Truth Social, calling Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage a case of "VANDALISM."
Read at Latest Political News on Fox News →The president is still pushing the idea of using taxpayer money to reward Capitol rioters, contradicting the attorney general nominee's assurance that it won't happen.
Read at Reason.com →Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump for joining with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to block acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination […]
Read at BizPac Review →President Trump on Friday slammed RINO Senator John Cornyn for delaying Todd Blanche's confirmation for Attorney General over the defunct weaponization fund. The post SHOWDOWN: Trump Slams Cornyn For Delaying Todd Blanche AG Confirmation Over Weaponization Fund – Tillis Jumps in And Attacks Trump appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read at The Gateway Pundit →