$1.8B anti-weaponization fund
Blanche oversaw creation of a controversial $1.8 billion fund to compensate purported victims of Biden and Obama-era DOJ overreach, angering Senate Republicans.
Snapshot · The Daily
From Trump’s Attorney to Attorney General: The Rise of Todd Blanche
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Jul 15, 2026
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The $1.8 Billion Fund and the Skeptical Senate
At 3:31 · chapter starts 2:05
Glenn Thrush opens by diagnosing the political moment: Todd Blanche is in a precarious position. Over the past six weeks, at Trump's prompting, Blanche oversaw the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate purported victims of Biden and Obama-era DOJ overreach — a move Senate Republicans found so objectionable they summoned Blanche for a bruising hour-long dressing-down. [1] — Glenn Thrush "$1.8B anti-weaponization fund: Blanche oversaw creation of a controversial $1.8 billion fund to compensate purported victims of Biden and O…" 03:31 Thrush notes this dynamic is new: early Trump cabinet nominees got easy passes from a Republican Senate eager to hand the president authority. That era is over. With midterm elections looming, the gravitational pull of electoral accountability is making senators far more willing to break ranks and ask hard questions.
The $1.8 Billion Controversy That Threatens Blanche's Confirmation
Blanche oversaw the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate purported victims of Biden and Obama-era DOJ overreach — and Senate Republicans called him in and grilled him for an hour, calling it totally unacceptable. This is the backdrop to his confirmation hearing, where the outcome is genuinely uncertain.
From Vanilla Prosecutor to Trump's Lawyer: Blanche's Origins
Blanche was a 'vanilla federal prosecutor' from the Southern District of New York who cashed out into a white-shoe firm in 2017. Boris Epshteyn pulled him into the Trump orbit through the Paul Manafort defense — and that cameo changed everything.
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