Todd Blanche Concedes Creation of Trump’s $1.8 Billion Payout Fund Is Unprecedented, Won’t Guarantee Money Won’t Go to MAGA Donors

Sen. Chris Coons (D-CT) grilled Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Tuesday about the recent DOJ settlement with President Donald Trump to create a $1.8 billion payout fund for his allies. The settlement has been widely slammed as creating a “slush fund” for MAGA and as being unprecedented in the history of the country.

Blanche previously told Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) that such a fund did have precedence in the Obama administration, as a settlement created a fund to payout Native Americans who were suing the federal government for past damages over land discrimination.

“You referenced a previous case. I think it was Keepseagle v. Vilsack under the previous administration. Did that case involve a president suing his own government and then settling that case before it could be reviewed or approved by a judge?” Coons pressed, referencing the precedent Blanche raised earlier.

Blanche replied, “No, neither does this one.”

“It did not. And so when you suggested that they’re nearly identical, they’re not identical. I think there is a critical difference here. President Trump is the first president to sue his own government and then direct his chosen acting attorney general to reach this kind of settlement. Will you commit that none of President Trump’s family will receive a direct payout from this fund?” Coons asked.

Blanche replied, “Yes, but what you just said is not true. I mean, if I can correct that, the president did not direct me to do anything. And secondly, when we said that the structure of the commission is similar to Keepseagle, you’re that’s true—it wasn’t the case. The underlying case is not the same; the structure of the commission is the same as Keepseagle has it.”

“Has it ever happened that a sitting president sued his own government for $10 billion and then directed the settlement of the case and the establishment of a payout fund?” Coons pressed.

Blanche agreed, “Not that I’m aware, but there’s a lot of things that President Trump’s the first of. No president had been indicted one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times either.”

“Correct. No president’s been indicted. And will you commit that none of this money will go to President Trump’s campaign donors?” Coons followed up.

Blanche replied, “I am not committing to anything beyond the settlement agreement itself. When you say campaign donors, they are not excluded from seeking compensation if they are recognized.”

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.

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!