President Trump’s $1.776 Billion Taxpayer Fund Could Pay January 6 Rioters Who Beat Up Police

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spent May 19 on Capitol Hill, refusing to guarantee that violent January 6 attackers — including members of extremist groups who assaulted police officers — would be barred from receiving payouts through a new $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded compensation program, as reported by the Daily Beast.

The Department of Justice recently unveiled the massive fund, designed to compensate individuals who claim they were victims of government weaponization. The announcement came on the heels of President Donald Trump dropping his own $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, per the outlet.

During the heated hearing, Democratic Senator Chris Coons directly pressed Blanche, 51, on the matter. “Would you commit that no one who’s been convicted of assaulting a police officer will receive a payout from this fund?” Coons, 62, asked. Blanche acknowledged sharing concerns raised by law enforcement but ultimately punted responsibility, stating, “Anybody can apply,” and that commissioners — not him — would establish the rules, according to the article.

That answer did little to satisfy Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who characterized the program as an outrageous and unprecedented slush fund. Van Hollen, 67, brought up the disturbing case of Andrew Paul Johnson, a pardoned January 6 rioter who was convicted of sexually abusing two children. Johnson, 45, had allegedly attempted to silence one of his victims by promising them a share of millions he expected from the government, as reported by the outlet.

When Van Hollen pressed Blanche on whether Johnson would be eligible, the acting attorney general fired back, accusing the senator of lying. “Well, you’re obviously lying in your question because there’s no way that this person committed to that,” Blanche shot back, per the article. He added, “This slush fund, as you call it, didn’t exist.”

Senator Jeff Merkley, 69, also attempted to get Blanche to commit to urging the fund’s commissioners to block violent offenders from eligibility, but Blanche offered only a vague pledge to “encourage the commissioners to take everything into account.”

Notably, the concerns weren’t limited to Democrats. Republican Senator Susan Collins, 73, questioned whether the fund’s claims would be made public. Blanche hedged, citing privacy laws but saying he anticipated transparency “along the way,” per the report.

Blanche himself is tasked with appointing all five commissioners who will oversee the fund — the same commissioners he repeatedly pointed to as the ones responsible for setting its rules.