Blanche faces senators on new Trump 'weaponization' fund, Epstein, budget cuts

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced lawmakers Tuesday for the first time since taking the role, answering to bipartisan questions about his department's newly created "Anti-Weaponization Fund."

The Justice Department announced on Monday a new, nearly $1.8 billion fund as part of a settlement with President Donald Trump to end a lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns. The $1.776 billion fund, a nod to the country's founding, would offer payouts to Trump allies who claim they were unfairly targeted by the Justice Department under the Biden administration.

WATCH: DOJ creates $1.8 billion fund that could compensate 'targeted' Trump allies

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Tuesday described the fund as "corruption that has never been more blatant."

Watch the clip in the player above.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told Blanche he was acting "like the president's personal attorney," adding "that's the whole problem."

Blanche, who appeared before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee to testify on Trump's 2027 budget request for the department, served as Trump's personal lawyer before joining the Justice Department in 2025. He was named acting attorney general following the firing of his predecessor, Pam Bondi, in April.

Members of the subcommittee also asked Blanche about cuts to Justice Department programs and investigations into crimes related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Here are three major takeaways from Tuesday's hearing.

Senators pushed Blanche to make Jan. 6 rioters ineligible for new 'weaponization' fund

Blanche testified that the Justice Department's "Anti-Weaponization Fund" will be composed of a five-person commission. Four commissioners will be appointed by the attorney general and the fifth will be appointed in consultation with congressional leadership.

The commissioners will create guidelines, take in information and assess whether claimants were victims of weaponization, Blanche told Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who asked him to provide the legal basis for the fund.

"The commission can do anything according to what was set up yesterday, from issuing an apology to the claimant to awarding monetary compensation," Blanche said.

Blanche said some information related to the claims, such as the basis of the complaint and amount awarded, will be publicly reported.

Several senators pushed Blanche to make a rule or encourage commissioners to exclude people convicted of violent crimes or those who assaulted Capitol police officers.

Watch the clip in the player above.

Blanche said he "will definitely encourage the commissioners to take everything into account when determining who should get compensation."

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., pressed further.

"But why not this specific issue of violent acts, convicted of violent acts against police officers? Do you feel they should get compensation after being convicted of violent acts?" he asked.

Blanche said his "feelings don't matter."

"What I will commit to is making sure that the commissioners are effectively doing their jobs and that includes setting guidelines like you're describing," the acting attorney general said.

Senators scrutinized Justice Department's proposed cuts to programs that support victims of gender-based violence

Members of the subcommittee questioned certain cuts to Justice Department programs, including a proposed 25% reduction in funding for programs related to the Office of Violence Against Women.

Via the Violence Against Women Act, which was reauthorized in 2022, the Department of Justice administers grants to nonprofit organizations and other programs that support victims of gender-based violence.

Collins said these programs are "critical to reducing violence against women, ensuring that justice is served and strengthening services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking."

She asked Blanche to explain the budget cut for the programs despite their "importance and effectiveness."

"The president's budget has to make choices on where to spend that money," Blanche said. "But it is extraordinarily important."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., raised concerns about the Justice Department ending programs on "all sorts of things, from drugs, to gun trafficking, to community policing, to cops programs."

Watch the clip in the player above.

"Do you think that China, Iran, Russia want to do us harm and would undermine our elections?" Gillibrand asked Blanche.

Blanche answered "yes."

"Why did you delete the whole department, then, that is supposed to protect against the undermining of our elections?" Gillibrand asked. The Justice Department, under Bondi's leadership, disbanded the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force.

Blanche said the task force was composed of agents living in Washington, D.C., "not around the country where we needed them." He said, instead, that every state has established a Homeland Security Task Force that works with state and local officials and is focused on election integrity.

"I want a complete report on this, because I don't have confidence that you are doing what needs to be done," Gillibrand said.

Blanche commits to not recommending a Ghislaine Maxwell pardon

Several members of the subcommittee questioned Blanche about topics related to the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein investigation and the case of his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Bondi, Blanche's predecessor, faced intense criticism over her handling of the cases before her firing.

Van Hollen asked Blanche to commit that he would not recommend a pardon for Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking minors.

Watch the clip in the player above.

"I can commit to that, of course," Blanche said.

Blanche also said that the Justice Department would always open investigations into "potential other bad guys … if we have evidence that supports in any way, shape or form that we can make a case."

Merkley told Blanche that Trump in November said he's asked the DOJ to investigate a list of people, targeting Democrats in particular, for their possible connections to Epstein. The senator asked if any investigations, "blind to party affiliation," were being pursued under Blanche's direction.

"No matter Republican, Democrat, man, woman, old, young – any investigation will be open if the Department of Justice and the FBI have evidence that a crime has been committed."

Murray pressed Blanche to apologize to survivors for the Justice Department's failure to redact their names and images from certain documents released earlier this year, and to commit to meeting with survivors.

Watch the clip in the player above.

Blanche responded "of course" and "yes" to Murray's repeated prompts for an apology and said his department had failed, but stopped short of directly apologizing.

He also asked Murray whether she wanted him "to personally call the victims." Murray said she could help the Justice Department reach survivors.

"That would be great," Blanche said.

PBS News Senior Editor Joshua Barajas contributed reporting for this story.