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

"Coons pressed, referencing the precedent Blanche raised earlier. 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."

"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 trueit 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"

A Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing questioned an $1.8 billion DOJ settlement tied to President Donald Trump and a payout fund for his allies. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced pressure about whether the settlement resembled prior precedent cited earlier, including a case involving Native Americans and land discrimination. Blanche said the underlying case was not the same and that only the commission structure was similar. Coons argued the settlement was unprecedented, emphasizing that Trump is the first president to sue his own government and direct an acting attorney general to reach such a settlement. Blanche agreed that he was not aware of a similar prior situation and addressed questions about whether Trump’s family would receive direct payouts.

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