Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Jan. 6 defendants who assaulted Capitol Police officers deserved to be prosecuted, while also declaring under oath that a controversial $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund created through a Trump administration settlement is defunct and will make no payments.
“I’m doing it right now,” Blanche said when asked whether he was committing to the fund’s closure under oath.
Blanche appeared before the committee for his confirmation hearing as full attorney general, where the events of Jan. 6 and their legal aftermath dominated questioning. Senators pressed him repeatedly on the scope of President Trump’s blanket pardon, which shut down more than 1,500 cases stemming from the Capitol breach and freed defendants who were still incarcerated.
When Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) pressed Blanche on the police officers who were attacked, the nominee did not hedge.
“Yes, and should have been prosecuted, and was,” Blanche said, adding that the officers were “victims of crime” and that blame lay with the individuals who attacked them.
Blanche made clear that the pardons were the president’s decision alone, and he declined to criticize Trump for exercising his constitutional authority.
The $1.776 billion fund had drawn sharp scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The settlement arose from a lawsuit after an IRS contractor leaked Trump’s private tax records, and the resulting fund was described by critics as a potential political slush fund. Blanche told senators the fund has not made any payments and will not do so, and he offered to help Congress draft legislation permanently banning such a vehicle under federal law.
“We do not object to that path,” Blanche told the committee.
More than 1,500 people were charged in connection with the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021. Of those, more than 1,000 were convicted before the blanket pardon took effect. Hundreds had been charged specifically with assaulting or interfering with police officers.
Wednesday’s hearing came as Trump’s nominees for several top government posts face bipartisan scrutiny in the Senate. The Judiciary Committee’s questioning of Blanche focused heavily on his dual role as Trump’s personal defense attorney during multiple federal prosecutions and his fitness to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
