Trump Defends His Controversial Fund

President Trump defended his controversial plan to create $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund on Friday, but he continues to face serious pushback from within his own party. In a Truth Social post, Trump said he gave up "an absolute fortune" by settling his lawsuit with the IRS as part of a deal to create the Justice Department fund. The White House contends the federal money will be doled out to people unfairly prosecuted during the Biden administration, while critics describe it as a slush fund for Trump allies. One problem for Trump, as multiple stories were pointing out on Friday, is that fellow Republicans are among the critics:

• "So the nation's top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops?" said Sen. Mitch McConnell. "Utterly stupid, morally wrong—take your pick."
• Sen. Thom Tillis told Spectrum News it was "stupid on stilts" and "tyranny."
• "Somebody described it as a galactic blunder, and I think that's probably true," Sen. Ron Johnson told CNN.
• "It is in real trouble, and it should be," said Sen. Susan Collins.

• On Thursday, the Senate delayed approving additional funding for increased immigration enforcement over the fund, and the House canceled a vote on a resolution to stop the war in Iran because it looked destined to pass. Axios sees the legislative setbacks "as a rare moment of Republican resistance, largely of (Trump's) own making," and a New York Times analysis makes a similar point about this moment being a "rarity in GOP politics" under Trump. Both analyses suggest that the president's efforts to oust GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn also are hurting his cause with Senate Republicans.
• Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has been speaking with senators to sway them on the fund, but CBS News and the Washington Post report that he's made little headway.