Senator Thom Tillis slams Trump's anti-weaponization fund as 'payout pot for punks'

Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) doubled down on his criticism of the Trump administration's plan to float a $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, calling the fund a "payout pot for punks." Tillis revealed that there will be amendments in the budget reconciliation bill to "rescind the agreement or defund it" when the Senate convenes in June, when asked whether Congress has the authority to scuttle the fund.

"It makes no sense. It is politically tone-deaf. Whoever did it should be fired," he averred, adding that he is in favor of helping lawfare victims but not people "who were convicted by a jury of their peers or pled guilty to assaulting a police officer." Tillis' rejection of the proposed taxpayer-funded payout for January 6 convicts is significant, arguing the federal government cannot justify compensating rioters at a time when Americans are facing a cost-of-living crisis. 

The North Carolina Republican also shed light on the meeting between Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and GOP senators to discuss the fund. He said that it was a "tumultuous lunch" where the group did not pull its punches in expressing their frustration with the "bogus agreement." "It's horrible politics; it's horrible timing. This is all a distraction. Some people even think it may look like self-dealing," Tillis said. His description of the meeting aligns with what Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in his podcast last week.

The Texas Senator called it "one of the roughest meetings I've seen in my entire time in the Senate." He said that the senators were "pissed" and screaming at Blanche, while noting that the fund's legal basis was "sound." President Donald Trump rejected Tillis' censure in a Truth Social post, calling him a "nitpicker" who was fighting against the Republican Party, and him, "on things that didn’t matter."

The Justice Department announced the fund a week ago, as part of a settlement in exchange for Trump dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over his leaked tax returns. The fund will streamline the process to address claims of those who suffered "weaponization" and "lawfare" under the Biden administration. A five-member commission will oversee the fund's operations, and one does not need "partisan requirements" to file claims.

However, many critics, including lawmakers, have pointed out that there is little in terms of checks and balances to prevent people convicted of participating in the Capitol attack on January 6 from receiving taxpayer-funded settlements.