Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally and in writing withdrawn President Donald Trump's proposed $1.8bn "anti-weaponisation" fund, a move designed to clear the way for his own confirmation as permanent attorney general. The fund would have compensated Trump allies who claimed to have been politically prosecuted, including some involved in the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot, and had drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans alike, as well as being blocked by a federal judge on ethical grounds.

Blanche's confirmation had stalled because Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis were not satisfied by earlier verbal assurances that the fund was dead, and also wanted the scope of a related provision shielding Trump, his family and their businesses from IRS audits to be narrowed. In posts on X on Sunday, Blanche said he had addressed senators' concerns, attaching a signed order stating "there is no Fund", and said he had clarified the IRS immunity language. Trump had given conflicting signals over the weekend, calling the fund "dead" on Friday before threatening to revive it if Republicans did not approve Blanche, ahead of a Senate judiciary committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday that could include a vote on his nomination.