Blanche's First Congressional Appearance — One Day After the Fund Announcement

Todd Blanche walked into the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on May 19, 2026, for his first-ever congressional testimony as Acting Attorney General. The timing was stark.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the DOJ had announced the creation of the $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund — a pool of taxpayer money set to compensate people who claim they were politically targeted by the Biden-era Justice Department. According to PBS NewsHour, Blanche was already scheduled to testify on the DOJ's overall budget request. The fund announcement the day before created an immediate accountability moment.

The DOJ is also requesting $40.8 billion for its total fiscal year budget — a 13% increase over the prior year, according to MS NOW. The same administration criticizing government waste wants a double-digit budget hike for the department it's simultaneously using as a political instrument. Few outlets in mainstream media have highlighted that contradiction.

What the Fund Actually Is

The $1.776 billion fund comes from a settlement of Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his personal tax returns. According to KATV and PBS NewsHour, Trump himself will NOT receive money — he gets a formal apology instead. The funds are meant for third parties who claim they were wrongfully investigated or prosecuted for political reasons.

Blanche, in a statement quoted by PBS NewsHour, called it "a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress."

If the Biden DOJ did weaponize federal prosecutions — and there is evidence it did in some cases — victims would deserve recourse. That's a legitimate principle.

What Blanche's statement omitted, which PBS specifically flagged: his prepared remarks made no mention of how the Trump DOJ's own prosecutions of political opponents are already drawing identical accusations of politically motivated law enforcement. His testimony did not address that parallel.

Congress Didn't Approve This. At All.

The Anti-Weaponization Fund was created without congressional approval, according to MS NOW. A nearly $1.8 billion commitment of taxpayer dollars, structured through a settlement agreement, bypassed the legislative branch entirely.

Nearly 100 House Democrats signed a legal brief urging a federal judge to block the fund, per PBS NewsHour and KATV. Delaware Sen. Chris Coons called it "a billion-dollar slush fund for Trump to reward felons, insurrectionists, and cronies, paid for by YOUR taxpayer dollars," according to KATV.

Coons is a partisan voice. But the structural complaint — the executive branch creating a massive payout mechanism without Congress — raises a genuine separation-of-powers question. Republicans would have raised the same objection if an Obama administration had done this.

Comey Weighs In. Yes, That Comey.

James Comey — the man indicted for his own conduct — offered criticism on CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper on Monday. Comey said of Blanche: "Is any job worth compromising yourself in that way? I gather he wants to be attorney general, but really, how far will one go for a job?" According to Breitbart, the comments came after Blanche stated on Fox News that "there's a ton of evidence that the election was rigged" and confirmed ongoing investigations in Arizona and Georgia's Fulton County.

Comey calling anyone else compromised carries obvious irony. This is the same man under federal indictment for his own alleged misconduct at the FBI. Tapper did not mention that. Neither did most coverage amplifying Comey's quote.

Blanche echoing unsubstantiated 2020 election claims on Fox News while auditioning for a permanent AG position is a separate concern. Comey is a compromised messenger, but his underlying point about Blanche's public statements warrants scrutiny.

The Audition Nobody's Calling an Audition

Blanche has NOT been formally nominated as permanent Attorney General, per MS NOW. Trump fired Pam Bondi last month — reportedly because her standards were "too high."

Blanche is running DOJ, testifying before Congress, and defending an $1.8 billion fund — all while auditioning for a job he does not officially hold. That represents significant power for someone in a temporary role.

What This Means for Taxpayers

If you pay taxes, you have a stake in whether $1.776 billion gets distributed through a process that bypassed congressional oversight, to recipients determined by a DOJ with obvious political interests in who gets paid.

Some recipients may have been genuinely victimized by a politicized Justice Department. Others may not. The question is whether the fund includes independent oversight — and whether any senator, Republican or Democrat, will demand one. If they don't, the answer to how this money gets spent is already determined.