President Donald Trump on Friday filed to appeal a ruling that questioned the $10 billion lawsuit he brought against the IRS, after the government sought to use the lawsuit’s settlement to create an “anti-weaponization” fund to recompense perceived targets of political weaponization.
In early July, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, said the $10 billion lawsuit was for an “improper purpose.” She claimed Trump sued the IRS over his leaked tax records to “manipulate the judicial process” rather than to “vindicate rights,” and cast doubt on how the IRS settled the lawsuit by creating a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. The fund is administered by the Justice Department to reimburse those the Trump administration believes were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration for political purposes.
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This week, Trump filed a notice of appeal to the 11th Circuit court that he will be challenging Williams’s ruling, after she said he effectively colluded with his own government, writing in court filings that the president has jurisdiction over the Justice Department, Treasury Department and the IRS.
The anti-weaponization fund sent Democrats into an uproar. Republicans have also expressed concern, leading to the nomination of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the DOJ’s top post stalling in the Senate, since two GOP members on the committee responsible for advancing the nomination have refused to do so.
Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), both outgoing members of Congress, have stalled the Senate Judiciary Committee’s advancement of Blanche as Trump’s nominee for attorney general.
“Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against,” Tillis wrote on X. “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal. Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.”
Trump told reporters at Camp David on Friday morning that the fund is “dead,” saying administration officials had “agreed not to have” it. In a Saturday morning post to Truth Social, the president suggested he would no longer push to confirm Blanche as attorney general, and instead keep him in his temporary position, where the top DOJ official could continue to “push hard” for the fund.
“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, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED,” Trump wrote.
CORNYN CANCELS MEETING WITH BLANCHE MEANT TO ADDRESS CONCERNS SO CONFIRMATION VOTE CAN PROCEED
“Todd Blanche was a voice of reason! It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done,” he added.
It is unclear if the “bill” Trump is referring to is simply the anti-weaponization fund, or new legislation he wants to cement the fund into the law.
