‘They were p*****’: Republican lawmakers were ‘screaming’ at Todd Blanche during anti-weaponization fund briefing
Republican senators broke down behind closed doors this week as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tried to defend the Trump administration’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-arms” fund, according to a prominent Republican lawmaker.
It was a meeting that Sen. Ted Cruz later described on his podcast as one of the “toughest” he had witnessed during his time in Congress.
“Fiery is not enough,” Cruz said Friday on his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz.” “I’m guessing there’s probably 45 senators in the room, at least half of them went after the attorney general, and they were b******s.”
The “anti-militarization” fund was announced Monday after Trump agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. Cruz said many Republican lawmakers argued the proposal would be politically impossible to defend because it appeared President Donald Trump had “made a deal with himself,” NBC News reported.
“Several senators yelled at the attorney general, saying this looked like a self-serving transaction,” Cruz said. “I have to tell you, the Republican senators were bullshit — people were the whole meeting. They were yelling at the acting attorney general and he was trying to lay the legal groundwork,” Cruz said. Cruz added that “the legal basis is absolutely solid.”
Cruz said Senate Republicans were poised to rebel against the proposal. Had the Senate moved forward with a scheduled set of votes on the ICE and Border Patrol funding package Thursday night, he said, about half the Republican caucus was prepared to join Democrats in supporting amendments to restrict the fund.
He spoke of “the degree of evasion of the Republicans who were running away, who were saying we were going to vote with the Democrats.”
Cruz warned that the administration could face a major confrontation when lawmakers return to Washington if changes are not made to amend the fund.
“If the administration doesn’t fix this,” he said, “there will be a real revolt in the Senate.” »
In response to Cruz’s comments, a White House official said The Independent they appreciated the conversation and comments and will have additional conversations if necessary.The Independent has contacted the DOJ for comment.
Concerns about the fund continued to spread among Republicans.
The White House “put itself in a bad situation. Congress didn’t do it. Congress had no input. That could be part of the problem,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., criticized it as a “jackpot for punks,” pointing to the possibility that those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot could potentially receive compensation.
Democrats also strongly condemned the proposal. Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, wrote in a letter to Blanche on Wednesday that “the idea that the federal government is handing out compensation to rioters” is “absurd and offensive.”
On Thursday, Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., introduced bipartisan legislation that would prohibit the use of federal funds for the program.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday, making it clear he was not backing down on the fund.
“I could have settled my case…for an absolute fortune,” he wrote. “Instead, I help other people who have been so badly mistreated. »
The Senate is scheduled to return on June 1, the same day Trump said he wanted to sign the ICE and Border Patrol funding bill.
