Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is appearing on Capitol Hill for his first congressional testimony since taking the reins at the Justice Department, as the agency faces intense scrutiny over its plans to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of President Donald Trump who believe they were targeted politically.
Also, Trump said he's holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” are underway to end the war. Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but put it off — “for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.” He said America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they're close to a deal with Iran.
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Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen pressed Blanche on the creation of the fund during a budget hearing and asked him directly whether Jan. 6 rioters involved in crimes of violence could apply for payment from the fund.
“As was made plain yesterday, anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were a victim of weaponization,” Blanche said.
The decisions on payouts will be made a five-member commission appointed by Blanche.
In response to questions from Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, he said that though the fund was “unusual,” it’s not unprecedented.
He said the fund was similar in structure to one created during the Obama administration to compensate Native American farmers who alleged they were victims of racial discrimination.
Blanche said the fund will not be limited to Republicans or to people who were investigated or prosecuted by the Biden administration.
He also said he expected the payouts, which will be decided by a five-member commission, to be a matter of public record.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, castigated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the new $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of President Trump who feel they’ve been unjustly targeted by the criminal justice system.
Van Hollen called the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday a “pure theft of public funds.”
He told Blanche he was “still acting as the president’s personal lawyer” and not the acting attorney general that he is.
The acting attorney general’s testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee comes a day after the Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of the Republican president who believe they were targeted politically.
Tuesday’s hearing is meant to address the Trump administration’s budget request for the Justice Department. But it’s likely to delve into other controversies that have escalated concerns about the erosion of the law enforcement agency’s tradition of independence from the White House.
He’s repeatedly shown that Republican primary voters will follow his lead, even as his popularity wanes with the broader electorate.
In Kentucky, he’s supporting first-time candidate Ed Gallrein over Massie, who’s been in office since 2012. Massie is trying to convince Republicans they can support both himself and Trump at the same time, a proposition that’s been tried unsuccessfully in other races around the country.
In the race for Georgia governor, Trump is backing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in an unexpectedly ugly battle for the Republican nomination. Jones, who comes from a wealthy Georgia family, has given his campaign $19 million. But billionaire Rick Jackson, a health care tycoon, has put more than $83 million of his fortune into the race. Trump’s endorsement power has rarely been tested against that level of lopsided spending.
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The signs this year suggest no, and Trump has convinced his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again. The next test of the president’s power to extract retribution is Tuesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky faces a Trump-backed primary challenger.
Massie has been a thorn in the president’s side for pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year.
Meanwhile, Georgia is about to feature a fresh case study in the divergent paths available to Republicans who defy Trump.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan were among the few Republicans to speak out against Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 loss. Both are now running for governor — Raffensperger as a Republican and Duncan as a Democrat — and both are trying to convince voters to look past things they said in the past.
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President Trump has considered himself an effective dealmaker above all else, but he appears to have hit a wall with Iran as his tough talk, threats and even military action haven’t moved Tehran from its long-established positions.
With shifting goals that make it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. effort, Trump and his top aides have insisted the U.S. has already won the war and that Iran is ready to reach an agreement in the wake of escalating U.S. threats during a tenuous ceasefire.
But Trump once again backed down, saying Monday that he’d put plans for an imminent resumption of attacks on hold at the request of Gulf Arab states because “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”
Crucially, Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane for global oil supplies, even as the U.S. military has enforced its own blockade on Iranian ports.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after President Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing.
Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit likely to be closely watched as Beijing seeks to maintain stable relations with the United States while also preserving strong ties with Russia.
The Kremlin has said Putin and Xi plan to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries, but also “key international and regional issues.” The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.
China is a key trading partner for Russia, especially after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.
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Trump said he is holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” are underway to end the war.
“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy,” Trump said at the White House on Monday evening, after first making the announcement in a social media post.
Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but put it off — “for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.” He said America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.
Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement. Over the weekend he warned, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”
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Trump’s allies who believe they have been wrongly investigated and prosecuted could soon have access to a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund, the Justice Department announced Monday.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” will represent “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.” Blanche’s statement made no mention of how investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents under his watch have exposed the Justice Department to the same claims of politicized law enforcement that he has said he opposed.
The fund was announced as part of a deal to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.
The fund is in keeping with Trump’s long-running claims that the Justice Department during the Biden administration was weaponized against him, even though then-President Joe Biden himself was scrutinized during that time.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday the fund is dedicated to “reimbursing people who were horribly treated.”
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Republican voters in northern Kentucky will choose between U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and challenger Ed Gallrein in Tuesday’s House primary, another test of President Donald Trump’s power over his party after he handpicked Gallrein to take on the incumbent.
The primary race turned white hot in the final stretch. Massie brought in a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, in an attempt to show voters that they could support both him and Trump. Trump ratcheted up his social media attacks on Massie, calling him “an obstructionist and a fool,” and Gallrein shared a stage with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday.
Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party in his second term, successfully purging those who deviate from his agenda, but Massie is one of the last and most outspoken holdouts. A Massie defeat on Tuesday would serve as one of the most powerful demonstrations yet of Trump’s influence over Republican voters.
The matchup has become the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday for his first congressional testimony since taking the reins at the DOJ as the law enforcement agency faces intense scrutiny over its plans to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of the Republican president who believe they were targeted politically.
Blanche’s testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee follows Monday’s announcement about the creation of the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which critics decried as an illegal abuse of power designed to line the pockets of Trump supporters with taxpayer dollars.
In the weeks since assuming control of the Justice Department, Blanche has moved aggressively to advance the president’s priorities.
Tuesday’s hearing is meant to address the Trump administration’s budget request for the Justice Department but is likely to delve into other controversies that have escalated concerns about the erosion of the law enforcement agency’s tradition of independence from the White House.
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President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during and event about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington, with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
