Sen.Thom Tillis(R-NC) unloaded on PresidentDonald Trump’s“anti-weaponization fund” on Thursday, calling on his colleagues to speak up against the policy, which he called “beyond the pale.”
The Department of Justice’s new$1.776 billion fundhas drawn a swath of Republican criticism since it was announced this week. The fund was set up as part of asettlementof Trump’s $10 billionlawsuitagainst the Internal Revenue Service over the 2019 leak of his tax returns. Acting Attorney GeneralTodd Blanchesat down with lawmakers on Thursday to discuss the fund in a meeting that seeminglydid not go well.
The opposition to the fundreportedlyled to Senate Majority LeaderJohn Thune(R-SD) – also acriticof the fund – sending his colleagues home on recess without a vote on a reconciliation bill that would have funded tens of billions of Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
Tillis has been one of the fund’s most vocalcritics,referringto the policy on Thursday as “stupid on stilts.” That comment came in an excerpt from an interview shown on CNN. More of his comments were shown on the network later on Thursday, in which he claims that those who breached the Capitol on January should be “in prison” and not receiving money from the fund.
“These people don’t deserve restitution. Many of them deserve to be in prison,” he said. “This is just stupid on stilts.”
When asked if his fellow lawmakers shared his concerns, Tillis claimed they did, telling reporters the policy was not good for his colleagues, especially in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
“They do, and they need to speak up. I mean, this is beyond the pale. This is not good for my colleagues. There’s not one positive thing that could be spun out of this between now and November,” he said. “This is bad policy. It’s bad timing, and it’s bad politics.”
At leastsix otherRepublican lawmakers have spoken out against the fund or its possible payment towards those who assaulted police on Jan. 6 – a possibility thatno onewithin the administration has ruled out – including SenatorMitch McConnell(R-KY), Sen.Katie Britt(R-AL), and Sen.Ron Johnson(R-WI).
Source: Drudge Report
