Kaitlan Collins Throws Vance’s Call for Imprisonment of Jan 6 Rioters Back in His Face in Weaponization Fund Throwdown

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins threw Vice President JD Vance’s past comments about violent January 6 rioters back in his face on Tuesday while grilling him over the $1.766 billion fund the Department of Justice will disburse to those it deems victims of government weaponization.

President Donald Trump dropped a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS this week in exchange for the establishment of the fund.

“You previously told me that anyone who assaulted a police officer on January 6th should go to prison. So why not rule out giving them taxpayer-funded money?” asked Collins during a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the White House.

“Well, Kaitlan, what I said is we’re going to look at everything case-by-case,” replied Vance.

“But why not rule it out?” interjected Collins.

“Because Kaitlin, there are people who I don’t know their individual circumstances, and I don’t rule things out categorically when I know nothing about a person’s individual circumstances,” answered Vance. “Let’s say a person is accused, let’s just say hypothetically, a person who is accused of doing something that they never actually did that they got a kangaroo court that they had a judge who mistreated them. I think that we should look at those things case-by-case. We’re not making commitments to give anybody money. We’re just making commitments to look at things case-by-case.”

Collins could then be heard quietly observing that some January 6 rioters had been found guilty of assault by a “jury of their peers.”

“I think it’s very simple, look if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance told Fox News’ Shannon Bream in January of last year. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there.”

The “anti-weaponization” fund has come under fire from a wide variety of voices, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

“Yeah, not a big fan. I’m not sure exactly how they intend to use it. But my understanding is that was just announced,” Thune told a group of reporters earlier on Tuesday. “But yeah, I don’t see a purpose for it.”

The DOJ press release on the fund explained that “The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that as a part of the settlement agreement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, the Attorney General established ‘The Anti-Weaponization Fund’ to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”

“The Fund will have the power to issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants. Submission of a claim is voluntary. There are no partisan requirements to file a claim. Any money left when the Fund ceases operations will revert to the Federal Government,” continued DOJ’s statement. “The Fund will receive $1.776 billion and will come from the judgment fund, which is a perpetual appropriation allowing DOJ to settle and pay cases. On a quarterly basis, the Fund shall send a report to the Attorney General outlining who has received relief and what form of relief was awarded.”

Watch above via CNN.

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