Senator Thom Tillis publicly criticizes Trump and his 'incompetent personal advisor' over disputed fund
Key Takeaways
- •Senators Tillis and Cornyn are using the confirmation vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as leverage to force Trump to dismantle the Anti-Weaponization Fund.
- •Trump issued sweeping pardons and commutations covering roughly 1,500 individuals convicted for their roles in the January 6 Capitol attack on his first day in office.
- •Tillis maintains that those who assaulted police officers during the Capitol breach should stay in prison and not receive federal compensation through the fund.
- •Trump signaled he would consider withdrawing Blanche's nomination rather than yield to the senators' demands.
- •The confrontation highlights an ongoing divide among Republican lawmakers over how to handle January 6 accountability.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) publicly criticized President Donald Trump on Friday for following guidance from an unnamed "incompetent personal advisor" on what Tillis described as a "bogus settlement."
In a post on X, the North Carolina Republican wrote: "The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it."
Tillis, alongside Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), is pressuring Trump to dismantle his Anti-Weaponization Fund or face a blocked confirmation vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Both Tillis and Cornyn are outgoing Republican senators. The confirmation threat leverages the Senate's constitutional authority to approve high-level executive appointments, giving individual senators meaningful leverage over nominees. Blanche previously served as Trump's personal defense attorney during the New York hush money criminal trial before being tapped to lead the Justice Department in an acting capacity.
The dispute centers on Trump's continued support for individuals convicted for their roles in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. On his first day in office, Trump issued sweeping pardons and commutations covering roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants. In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump characterized the rioters as "great American patriots" and claimed they had been "hunted down like dogs."
Tillis countered that those who attacked police officers during the Capitol assault should remain in prison rather than receive federal compensation through the fund. The confrontation reflects a recurring tension within the Republican Party over January 6 accountability, with some GOP lawmakers breaking from Trump's embrace of convicted rioters while others echo the president's framing of the prosecutions as politically motivated.
The two senators met with Blanche on Thursday to discuss the matter. Trump indicated he would consider withdrawing Blanche's nomination amid the standoff. Tillis attributed the confirmation delays to poor counsel from an undisclosed Trump insider.
"I will continue working in good faith to put an end this legal and political albatross and prevent any potential misallocation of taxpayer dollars," Tillis concluded in his X post.
Source: Raw Story