Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Van Hollen asks Blanche whether Jan. 6 rioters are eligible for 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'
Posted
May 19, 2026
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May 19, 2026
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2:23Now PlayingSen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., asked acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday whether people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection would be eligible for payment from the Justice Department’s new fund.
On Monday, the Justice Department announced an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of a settlement with President Donald Trump to end a lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns. The $1.7 billion fund would offer payouts to Trump allies who claim they had been unfairly targeted by the Justice Department under the Biden administration.
Government watchdogs and Democratic lawmakers blasted the creation of the fund as corruption, saying it could reward – with taxpayer money – people who had helped storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, among others.
“Will individuals who assaulted Capitol Hill police officers be eligible for this fund?” Van Hollen asked during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing.
“Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they’re a victim of weaponization,” Blanche said.
Van Hollen asked whether the fund would include rules “that if you’ve assaulted a Capitol Hill police officer or committed a violent crime you will not be eligible. Why not make that a rule?”
Blanche said he is not one of the five commissioners setting up the rules. However, he is appointing the commission members.
Blanche was invited to testify on Trump’s 2027 budget request for the Justice Department, but faced questions on a number of issues.
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