Republican Rep. Wants to Steal From Americans via Trump’s Slush Fund |
Republican Rep. Wants to Use Trump Slush Fund to Steal From Americans
Representative Andrew Clyde also wants a piece of the pie.
Even members of Congress are taking the opportunity to cash in on Donald Trump’s slush fund.
The DOJ created a $1.8 billion honey pot earlier this week, offering “anti-weaponization” payouts to virtually any right-winger who felt targeted by the previous presidential administration—at cost to U.S. taxpayers.
The money is apparently worth more to lawmakers than the negative impacts it will have on their constituents. Republican Representative Andrew Clyde came out in favor of the executive branch’s creation, suggesting to Politico Thursday that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of taking money from the account himself.
The Georgia Republican argued that he had been previously targeted by the IRS and had to forfeit assets to the tune of $1 million. Clyde won most of the money back after he took the IRS to court, but he told Politico that he still has considerable legal fees from the endeavor.
There are others far beyond Capitol Hill who are interested in milking the fund, such as the financially ruined CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, who lost most of his net worth for spreading unfounded conspiracies about the 2020 presidential election.
Hundreds of pardoned January 6ers are also in the queue, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, a sex offender who bear-sprayed cops, and a convicted child molester who told his victims he would give them money from a Trump payout in exchange for their silence.
Trump leveraged the promise of payouts to his success on the campaign trail. In January—months before the slush fund became a reality—Democrats attempted to stave off such payments, introducing the “No Rewards for January 6 Rioters Act.” But the bill never went anywhere, and has made no progress since.
The slush fund was the result of an unprecedented deal that Trump made with himself. Rather than settle his $10 billion lawsuit against his own administration, Trump opted to drop the case entirely earlier this week and, in turn, extracted a pledge from the DOJ to financially assist his allies.
The arrangement came with a curious addendum from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, immunizing Trump from further federal prosecution. The government of the United States, Blanche wrote Tuesday, is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing “any and all claims” against Trump, his family, or his business.
Legal experts are questioning whether the scheme is unconstitutional. If the arrangement is allowed to stand, Trump will have effectively thwarted the powers of both the legislative and judicial branches, and soiled the constitutionally defined separation of power.
Trump Tells Republicans to Defend His Slush Fund by Lying
The Department of Justice has given Republicans a list of talking points not grounded in reality.
Ahead of a meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the White House sent a document to GOP senators on Thursday explaining why President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund is actually a great idea.
The document says the fund is about “seeking accountability” for millions of Americans “who were victims of lawfare and weaponization.” It falsely claims the president cannot profit from it, lets senators know they can get a piece of the action themselves (wink, wink), and even attempts to paint the fund as a bipartisan win. “Democrats can submit claims, too,” the document states happily.
Unsurprisingly for the most corrupt presidential administration in history, the document greatly contradicts the legal agreement that actually established the fund. Journalist Adam Klasfeld found nine different instances where the document differs from the agreement.
For example, the document claims the fund can be audited by a third party, while omitting the fact that Blanche gets to choose the auditor and can veto the audit at will. The document also claims there is no “partisan restriction” to the fund, despite the legal settlement defining the “weaponization” in question as being committed exclusively by Democrats.
Even Republican senators realize this fund is incredibly corrupt. Just a few hours after receiving the White House document, the GOP canceled its plans to vote on a budget bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security though the end of Trump’s second term, largely due to fears Democrats would force Republicans to go on the record about whether or not they support the fund.
The fund was announced on Monday as a result of a massive legal settlement between Trump and the IRS. It is expected to be doled out to Trump allies—including January 6 rioters and members of Trumpian super PACs—who claim they were unfairly targeted by past administrations. Of course, no one except Blanche will actually know who is awarded the bounties, and how much they’re getting.
The fund has come under intense public scrutiny since it was created. One legal watchdog called it “one of the single most corrupt acts in American history,” Democrats have bashed it as clear fraud, and a few Republican legislators have similarly gone on record to say it unfairly benefits the president.
Republicans Flee Work Early to Avoid Voting on Trump’s Slush Fund
Republicans in the Senate went home earlier than scheduled, abandoning a key budget vote so they wouldn’t also have to vote on the slush fund.
Republican senators oppose President Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” so much that they’re going home early.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced to his colleagues Thursday afternoon that the Senate will recess until June without a vote on their planned reconciliation bill to fund controversial parts of the government, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The House is expected to dismiss early, as well, as a scheduled meeting between Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump on Thursday was instead canceled.
The original plan was to vote this week on the legislation, which would have provided about $70 billion to fund immigration enforcement through 2029. But Democrats promised to introduce a series of amendments to the bill forcing Republicans to vote on the slush fund, as well. To avoid those votes, Republicans have chosen to skip town.
A meeting earlier Thursday between acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Senate Republicans on the fund went very poorly, with at least 25 Republican senators speaking out........