Senate Majority Leader John Thune is walking a tightrope as President Donald Trump’s controversial “Anti-Weaponization Fund” runs into legal trouble and growing frustration inside the GOP.
The South Dakota Republican declined to claim victory Monday after the Justice Department said it would follow a federal judge’s order blocking payouts from the fund until at least June 12. The pause came after a surprise court ruling Friday reopened Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.
But Thune made clear Republicans are not ready to move on.
‘The way the statement is worded, I think it’s clear that they’re not proceeding with the fund, but obviously whether that’s sufficient to satisfy a number of our members is something we’re still sorting through.’
Then came the line that raised eyebrows.
Asked whether he was concerned Trump could veto the broader funding bill if lawmakers moved to ban the fund outright, Thune answered with a blunt four-word response.
‘Oh yeah, don’t you?’
That remark quickly fueled accusations that Thune was mocking Trump at a tense moment for Republicans, who are trying to keep their conference together while negotiating with Democrats over a major $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package.
The problem for GOP leaders is simple. Democrats could try to force amendment votes banning the fund, putting Republicans in the uncomfortable position of choosing between backing Trump and avoiding a politically messy fight heading into the midterms.
Even some of Trump’s most loyal Senate allies are not satisfied with the administration’s current posture.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Trump needs to be far more direct.
‘It’s pretty clear that the President has to say very explicitly that there’s not going to be a weaponization fund.’
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, another Trump ally, was even more colorful when describing the overall funding fight.
‘The reconciliation bill looks like a broken arm with the bones sticking out.’
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Kennedy also dismissed the idea that the Justice Department’s pledge to follow the court order should put the matter to rest.
‘Saying you’re going to follow a court order doesn’t tell me anything. You have to follow the court order.’
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema barred the administration last week from taking any further steps to create or operate the fund before a June 12 hearing.
The Justice Department responded in a statement on X, saying it ‘disagrees strongly’ with Brinkema’s decision but ‘will abide by the court’s ruling.’
The department said the fund was ‘established in order to make up for the tremendous abuse, harm, and hate unfairly shown to so many people,’ and said it is ‘open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise.’
Reports say the Trump administration now plans to drop the fund, with one source telling Axios: ‘It’s dead for now.’
Still, scrapping the fund may not erase what critics say was the most valuable piece of the arrangement for Trump.
The settlement reportedly gave Trump, his sons and his businesses immunity from future IRS audits. It remains unclear whether killing the fund would also remove that protection.
The White House directed requests for comment to the Justice Department.
The $1.776 billion fund was created as part of a settlement tied to Trump’s civil lawsuit against the IRS after his tax returns were leaked by a former government contractor.
The administration has argued the money was meant to compensate people harmed by government “weaponization” and “lawfare,” terms Trump has frequently used to describe what he says was the political targeting of conservatives and his allies.
Opponents, however, argue the fund lacks a clear legal foundation, has little oversight and could be used to benefit Trump loyalists, including people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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Donald Trump, on his first day back in office last year, pardoned more than 1,500 people convicted in connection with the attack on Congress as his supporters sought to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
Brinkema’s order followed a lawsuit from plaintiffs who argued the fund was a ‘collusive agreement’ between Trump and his administration, with ‘no congressional authorization, no basis in law, and no accountability.’
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The legal fight is not the only challenge facing the fund. Other lawsuits have also been filed by law enforcement officers who clashed with rioters and by government watchdog groups seeking to shut it down.
For now, John Thune is left trying to manage the fallout from both sides. Democrats see an opening. Conservatives want a clearer answer from Trump. And the Senate GOP leader, accused by some of mocking the president with one quick reply, is trying to keep a fragile funding fight from blowing up in his party’s face.
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