The Department of Justice has lashed out at a Democratic senator who claimed that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche admitted Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” slush fund was a “mistake.”
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin made the bombshell claim about Trump’s former personal lawyer while speaking to reporters Tuesday, on the eve of Blanche’s confirmation hearing to lead the DOJ on a permanent basis.
“[Blanche said] ‘What more can I do? What more can I say? I made a mistake. I don’t want to see the weaponization fund go forward,’” Durbin, the Democratic ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said.
Durbin said he told Blanche to put the admission in writing so it would be more “credible.” He also claimed Blanche told him he would work with Congress to “codify the fact that it’s gone and it’s not going to be used again,” adding that it “seemed like a very weak defense.”
Hours after Durbin’s remarks were reported, the DOJ Rapid Response X account suggested the senator misconstrued Blanche’s comments about Trump’s highly controversial taxpayer-funded compensation scheme.
“With all due respect to Senator Durbin, it is unfortunate that a cordial private meeting was taken out of context,” the account wrote.
“The Acting Attorney General looks forward to answering any and all questions the Senators have [Wednesday]—in public—before the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
Blanche’s attempt to establish the “weaponization” scheme is set to be a key line of attack for Democrats during the acting attorney general’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
The $1.8 billion slush fund was announced by the DOJ to compensate Trump allies who claim they were wrongfully persecuted by the Biden and Obama administrations, including those convicted of attacking police officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The scheme was announced in exchange for Trump dropping a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service—which taxpayers would ultimately have been on the hook for—alleging that the agency failed to take steps to prevent the leak of his tax returns.
The slush fund received such bipartisan condemnation that the DOJ backtracked and announced last month that it would no longer move forward with it. However, Blanche has yet to confirm in writing that the scheme has been canceled.
Durbin discussed the one-on-one meeting he had with Blanche on Tuesday on X, but did not mention Blanche’s apparent admission that the slush fund was a mistake.
Instead, Durbin provided a laundry list of examples to suggest Blanche has played a key role in “aiding and abetting the most corrupt Administration in history.”
“Mr. Blanche is at the helm of a weaponized Justice Department, putting President Trump ahead of the Constitution, the rule of law, and you,” Durbin wrote.
“It’s clear that Mr. Blanche has never stopped being President Trump’s personal attorney, and I pushed him on his role in the botched release of the Epstein Files, the MAGA slush fund for cop beaters, the Trump-IRS sweetheart deal, and his crypto corruption.”
