Republican Bashes Trump ‘Slush Fund’ on Fox: ‘As the Wife of a First Responder…’
Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) bashed President Donald Trump’s anti-weaponization fund on Monday, telling Fox Business host Cheryl Casone that the move amounted to “throwing money at the problem.”
The Department of Justice’s $1.776 billion fund– set up as part of a settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the 2019 leak of his tax returns – is designed “to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”
The move has garnered widespread criticism from the president’s party, with many calling out the administration’s refusal to rule out the possibility that the fund could be used to compensate rioters who assaulted police during the January 6 Capitol riot. The dissent has come from some GOP members who rarely criticize the president, like Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).
In her Monday conversation with Casone, Cammack joined the chorus of Republicans calling out the “slush fund.”
“Well, as someone who served on the weaponization committee last Congress, I can tell you that the issue is very real and it is rampant,” she said. “But I’m not sure that a billion dollar-plus slush fund is the answer.”
Cammack continued, telling Casone that she would “under no circumstances” back payments to those who committed violence against law enforcement officials.
She said:
I think if you really want to eliminate the weaponization that takes place within the federal government against American citizens and those that serve, you need to actually address the root cause. This is the problem that we have in Washington. It’s the idea of throwing money at a problem and hoping it goes away. I think that money could be better spent in bringing down the cost of everything and making life more affordable for Americans, while simultaneously addressing the system that allowed for the weaponization against individuals here in this country. And certainly, I would say as the wife of a first responder, absolutely under no circumstances would I ever support any payouts for anyone who ever assaulted law enforcement.
Cammack’s husband, Matthew Harrison, is a firefighter and SWAT medic.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from setting up the fund on Friday in advance of a June 12 hearing. The president’s top advisors are reportedly discussing abandoning the fund after a group of senators, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), urged Trump to stop its creation.
Watch above via Fox Business.
New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!
Comments
↓ Scroll down for comments ↓