Todd Blanche defends Trump’s $1.8B fund: 'People that hurt police get money all the time'

WASHINGTON, DC: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche the Trump administration’s newly created $1.776 billion fund during a CNN interview, pushing back on criticism over who may be eligible for payouts. The remarks quickly sparked political debate, particularly over whether individuals convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack could potentially seek compensation.

The fund, linked to a broader settlement tied to President Donald Trump’s legal dispute with the Internal Revenue Service over the 2019 leak of his tax returns, has drawn scrutiny over its scope and definition of intended beneficiaries. Officials have described it as a mechanism for claims related to alleged government overreach, but its wording has left key questions unresolved.

Todd Blanche defends Trump $1.776 billion fund amid eligibility scrutiny

During the interview with CNN’s Paula Reid, Blanche defended the creation of the fund, which has been described by the Justice Department as being established “for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”

The structure of the program has prompted questions from lawmakers and reporters about how eligibility will be determined and whether individuals with criminal convictions tied to violent incidents would be excluded from receiving compensation.

Todd Blanche says people who hurt police get money all the time in CNN interview

Blanche faced direct questioning from Reid about whether people convicted of harming law enforcement officers should ever receive taxpayer-funded compensation.

Reid asked, “Would you be okay with people who were convicted of hurting police getting taxpayer money?”

Blanche responded, “Just to be clear, people that hurt police get money all the time. Okay? There’s a process where, where if you are, if you believe you have your rights violated, you can apply for funds, you can sue, you can file a claim, you can go to court. And some of those cases, the state, the government, the federal government settles those cases."

The remark immediately became a focal point of the discussion, as Blanche emphasized that eligibility for legal claims is separate from criminal accountability.

“It’s abhorrent to ever, ever touch a law enforcement officer, which is why anytime anybody does that and it’s a federal officer we’ll prosecute them. But that’s a completely different question with whether an individual is allowed to apply for a claim,” he added.

January 6 eligibility questions surround Trump administration compensation fund

The issue of eligibility has remained central to the debate, with reporters repeatedly pressing officials on whether individuals convicted of violence during the January 6 Capitol attack could be excluded from accessing funds.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance have also been asked similar questions but have not provided clear answers, leaving the scope of the program open to interpretation.

Blanche also declined to set firm boundaries on eligibility, saying, “I can’t– it would not be appropriate for me to talk about absolutes. Like, 'Absolutely not. Under no circumstances.' I mean, we can talk about hypotheticals until we’re blue in the face, but that really wouldn’t be fruitful.”

Capitol police officers move to block payments from $1.776 billion fund

The controversy escalated further after Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block any use of the fund for compensating individuals connected to the January 6 attack.

In their complaint filed in Washington, DC, the officers argued that the program functions as what they described as a “taxpayer-funded slush fund” and could potentially encourage further misconduct.

The filing also claims the fund could “endanger the lives” of law enforcement officers by incentivizing continued threats and violence against those who responded to the Capitol breach.

The officers are asking the court to halt any payments, calling the initiative “the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.”