{
  "id": 17359,
  "title": "Trump vows to restore his ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ a day after declaring it dead, while Tillis slams it as a ‘payout pot for punks’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/trump-vows-to-restore-his-anti-weaponization-fund-a-day-after",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-01T18:01:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/08/01/trump-anti-weaponization-fund-acting-attorney-general-todd-blanche-thom-tillis-payout-pot-punks/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Donald Trump expressed on Saturday his intention to revive the \"Anti-Weaponization Fund\" if two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, fail to endorse his nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche. The announcement came a day after Trump declared the fund dead, creating a new wrinkle in the Senate confirmation vote scheduled for the following week. The fund, which compensates supporters who feel unjustly persecuted by the criminal justice system, was created by a $1.8 billion settlement in a lawsuit. With the two senators set to leave Congress in January, their disapproval of Blanche's appointment has once again raised concerns. Tillis, who is retiring from office, criticized Trump's reversal, stating that the president's \"payout pot for punks\" would likely be resurrected either through a new fund or a bill that most Republicans in the Senate would oppose.",
  "summary": "Trump also asserted in his Truth Social post that he would keep acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his current role.",
  "key_points": [
    "Trump vows to revive Anti-Weaponization Fund if Cornyn and Tillis reject Todd Blanche.",
    "Fund compensates supporters unjustly persecuted by criminal justice system.",
    "Tillis criticizes Trump's reversal as \"payout pot for punks\"."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}