Why Would We Take Todd Blanche’s Word For It?

Washington, D.C. (June 3, 2026)—Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday to take his word for it that the Trump-Blanche slush fund—the subject of nationwide bipartisan outrage—is dead. Why would anyone take Trump’s former personal attorney at his word?

Let’s be clear: nothing about Blanche’s statement prevents Donald Trump and his Justice Department from continuing to funnel taxpayer dollars to January 6 cop-beaters, criminals and other MAGA favorites.

• Notably, Blanche is flat-out refusing to formally confirm the termination of the slush fund. When pressed by lawmakers to offer a more definitive commitment that payments from the fund would not move forward, Blanche floundered, saying: “I’m not committing to putting anything in writing.” When the nation’s top law enforcement officer won’t put it in writing, that tells you everything you need to know.
   
• And there’s a reason why he won’t. Trump and Blanche have already been cutting checks for months through the federal Judgment Fund—and there’s no indication they plan to stop. They’ve already paid out $1.25 million to Carter Page, $1.25 million to Michael Flynn, and $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt. Even before the $1.8 billion slush fund was announced, January 6 rioters were lining up for taxpayer-funded payouts.
   
• Seditious conspiracist and Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio has already said the quiet part out loud: even if Trump and Blanche truly scrap the $1.8 billion fund, the DOJ can still settle the meritless claims brought by January 6 rioters and cut taxpayer-funded checks to rioters who beat police—unless Congress enacts guardrails. 
   

Blanche also refused to rescind the mother of all sweetheart deals he tucked into his corrupt settlement with President Donald Trump: the outrageous Super Pardon for Trump, his family, and their sprawling web of sketchy business ventures. 

• Blanche is giving the Trumps a family-sized, lifelong pass on any violations of the law, for any misconduct, ‘whether presently known or unknown.’ That means total and permanent impunity for the whole Trump family.
   
• Blanche claimed it is “standard” for the IRS to drop audits as part of a settlement. It is not. Two former IRS commissioners and tax experts have all said there is no precedent for giving any taxpayer a pass on any and all tax audits—to say nothing of a Super Pardon that totally wipes away any legal liability for any violation of federal law. As Joe Rogan put it: “That’s nuts!” 
   

And don’t be fooled: the Blanche Super Pardon goes way further than just tax audits and unpaid taxes, and it is not just limited to Trump. It grants a blanket pardon to Trump, his “related or related individuals” and all their “trusts” and “companies” for “any matters currently pending or that could be pending” before the IRS “or other agencies or departments.”  

In other words, Trump, his entire family and all of their businesses can never be investigated, prosecuted, fined or taxed by any agency of the federal government for any violations of federal law—criminal, civil, or administrative—they have committed.

• Insider trading by Don Jr. at Kalshi using government information he got from his father? No SEC or CFTC investigations.
   
• Jared Kushner bribing the Saudi royal family in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act while doing real estate deals in Saudi Arabia? No SEC or DOJ investigations. 
   
• Allegations of sexual assault by Trump, which were revealed in the Epstein Files?  No DOJ or FBI investigations.
   
• Don Jr.’s secret, no-bid contracts with the Pentagon? A flurry of inside stock trading? More than $100 million in penalties for failure to pay federal taxes? No investigations, by any federal agency, FOREVER.   
   

“Blanche thinks he’ll fool us with this bait-and-switch—an attempt to swap a brazen slush fund for a quieter pipeline of taxpayer-funded payouts to political allies and convicted criminals. We are not fooled. 

“And it gets worse. He didn’t just refuse to shut down the payout scheme—he is actively preserving the other half of this corrupt arrangement: a sweeping Super Pardon designed to place Donald Trump, his family and their web of shady businesses beyond the reach of federal law. 

“Todd Blanche is continuing to act like Trump’s personal attorney and has disgraced the office of the Attorney General, America’s top law enforcer. He must resign now. And Congress must act fast to pass my No Taxpayer-Funded Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2026, which blocks not only the $1.8 billion slush fund but also the use of the preexisting Judgment Fund to make political payouts to President Trump’s family and MAGA foot soldiers. Anything less keeps the door open for more taxpayer-funded payouts to Trump’s chosen criminals,” said Ranking Member Raskin.
 

Background: 

In May, Ranking Member Raskin introduced the No Taxpayer-Funded Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2026 to directly prohibit the use of federal funds to create or finance the slush fund established under Trump’s IRS settlement and imposes sweeping new restrictions to prevent taxpayer dollars from being steered to January 6 rioters, MAGA sycophants, senior government officials, and members of the President or Vice President’s family.