CBS News⁠39%

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issues order rescinding "anti-weaponization fund" ⁠47%

By Nikole Killion⁠57% Jacob Rosen⁠45%

8/2/2026, 9:25:00 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 28 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Ad Hominem, and Self-Serving Bias, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 29.5% saturation with 269 hits. Analysis detected 1,805 faulty-reasoning hits from 912 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 40.7% and a BS Rank of ⁠47% (16,335 of 30,359 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 53.80% of the article peer group.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued an order Sunday evening formally rescinding plans to create a $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of President Trump. 
The order came after weeks of negotiations with Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, who were threatening to block Blanche's confirmation for the permanent position to lead the Justice Department. 
"The Attorney General's May 18, 2026 Order establishing the Anti-Weaponization Fund ("Fund") is rescinded and shall have no force or effect," the order states. 
"For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Order is intended to contradict or otherwise be contrary to prior representations by the Department of Justice that the Fund is not operative. 
No Members were appointed; no funds were transferred; no process for receiving claims was established; no claims were paid. 
Nevertheless, several frivolous lawsuits have been filed challenging the Fund, and at least one court has declined to dismiss those claims as moot," it continues. 
"This Order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund." 
Tillis and Cornyn have refused to vote for Blanche as the full-time attorney general unless it is put in writing that Mr. 
Trump will no longer pursue the "anti-weaponization fund," a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim they were politically persecuted that was announced in May as part of a settlement to resolve a lawsuit brought by the president against the IRS and Treasury Department. 
The document released by Blanche on Sunday night also limits the scope of another provision of the settlement that provided broad immunity for Mr. 
Trump and members of his family from tax audits. 
It clarifies that the tax audit immunity agreement "applies only retroactively" to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings. 
"My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions," Blanche said in a post on X. 
We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order." 
Natalie Yezbick, a spokesperson for Cornyn, told CBS News in a statement that the senator "has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice" about the fund and the scope of the IRS settlement. 
CBS News has also reached out to Tillis for comment. 
After being delayed last week due to Cornon and Tillis' objections, a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Blanche was scheduled for Tuesday. 
After the Thursday vote postponement, Mr. 
Trump said in a social media post that he might pull Blanche's nomination and resubmit it after Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year. 
At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Blanche insisted the fund was "dead." 
Cornyn noted the settlement states any changes to it must be agreed upon in writing by all parties involved. 
"Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?" 
Cornyn asked. 
"No, the settlement fund is just not moving forward," Blanche responded. 
"There's no modification. 
It never started. 
No money went from the Treasury to any other account." 
The acting attorney general's office said Sunday night that Blanche "stands by all of his July 15, 2026 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, including answers to questions asked by Senator Cornyn related to the scope and applicability of the May 19, 2026 Order," and included a transcript of the exchange with the order. 
Mr. 
Trump threatened on Saturday to push to revive the fund if Tillis and Cornyn did not back Blanche as attorney general. 
"If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn't Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren't going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) 
Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED," the president wrote Saturday morning on Truth Social. 
The "anti-weaponization fund" was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in May amid a series of lawsuits. 
The Justice Department said in June court filings that the fund was not going forward and argued the lawsuits against it should be rendered moot. 
Democrats, who have called it a "slush fund," and a number of Republicans besides Cornyn and Tillis have previously stated their opposition to the fund, making the prospect of any future implementation or passage questionable, despite the president's weekend ultimatum. 
Tillis, in response to Mr. 
Trump, said Saturday on X, "Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against." 
Blanche, who served as Mr. 
Trump's defense lawyer in his criminal cases, entered the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general. 
He was elevated to the top post after Pam Bondi was fired in April by the president, who was frustrated by her failure to successfully prosecute his political enemies. 
Though Blanche insisted he wasn't auditioning for the permanent job, he has moved aggressively to pursue the Trump administration's agenda and accelerate investigations into the president's perceived foes. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 12.1%Nikole Killion: 3.0%CBS Los Angeles: 2.0%Confirmation Bias12.1%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.5%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 6.9%Nikole Killion: 1.7%CBS Los Angeles: 2.1%Availability Heuristic6.9%This article: 1.1%Nikole Killion: 0.3%CBS Los Angeles: 0.6%Representativeness Heuristic1.1%This article: 3.1%Nikole Killion: 0.8%CBS Los Angeles: 0.4%Hindsight Bias3.1%This article: 2.4%Nikole Killion: 0.6%CBS Los Angeles: 1.3%Overconfidence Bias2.4%This article: 6.9%Nikole Killion: 6.6%CBS Los Angeles: 4.5%Framing Effect6.9%This article: 2.6%Nikole Killion: 0.7%CBS Los Angeles: 0.2%Loss Aversion2.6%This article: 3.9%Nikole Killion: 1.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.5%Status Quo Bias3.9%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 1.5%Nikole Killion: 0.4%CBS Los Angeles: 1.8%Optimism Bias1.5%This article: 2.6%Nikole Killion: 0.7%CBS Los Angeles: 1.0%Pessimism Bias2.6%This article: 29.5%Nikole Killion: 7.4%CBS Los Angeles: 5.8%Negativity Bias29.5%This article: 13.6%Nikole Killion: 6.0%CBS Los Angeles: 1.6%Self-Serving Bias13.6%This article: 9.6%Nikole Killion: 2.4%CBS Los Angeles: 0.6%Fundamental Attribution Error9.6%This article: 2.4%Nikole Killion: 0.6%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Actor-Observer Bias2.4%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.7%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.2%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 2.6%Nikole Killion: 0.7%CBS Los Angeles: 1.5%Halo Effect2.6%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 12.8%Nikole Killion: 3.2%CBS Los Angeles: 1.0%Recency Bias12.8%This article: 2.9%Nikole Killion: 0.7%CBS Los Angeles: 0.2%Primacy Effect2.9%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.0%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 14.1%Nikole Killion: 14.1%CBS Los Angeles: 0.8%Ad Hominem14.1%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.2%Straw Man0.0%This article: 3.1%Nikole Killion: 0.8%CBS Los Angeles: 3.3%Appeal to Authority3.1%This article: 10.5%Nikole Killion: 2.6%CBS Los Angeles: 0.8%False Dilemma10.5%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.4%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 10.2%Nikole Killion: 2.5%CBS Los Angeles: 2.1%Hasty Generalization10.2%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.3%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 13.4%Nikole Killion: 8.0%CBS Los Angeles: 3.3%Appeal to Emotion13.4%This article: 1.2%Nikole Killion: 0.3%CBS Los Angeles: 0.6%Begging the Question1.2%This article: 3.2%Nikole Killion: 0.8%CBS Los Angeles: 1.7%Post Hoc (False Cause)3.2%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 1.5%Nikole Killion: 0.4%CBS Los Angeles: 0.4%Burden of Proof1.5%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 2.7%Nikole Killion: 0.7%CBS Los Angeles: 1.1%Anecdotal2.7%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.0%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 1.4%Ambiguity (Equivocation)0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.0%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.7%CBS Los Angeles: 1.7%Unattributed Quote0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 2.5%CBS Los Angeles: 0.8%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 16.9%Nikole Killion: 5.8%CBS Los Angeles: 1.3%Biased Writer Voice16.9%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.7%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 4.4%Nikole Killion: 1.9%CBS Los Angeles: 0.4%Politically Left Leaning Bias4.4%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.2%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Nikole Killion: 0.0%CBS Los Angeles: 0.6%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…0.0%

912 words analyzed.

Speakers

6speakers37%attributed speech574writer words
Selected voice

John Tillis

100%flagged-word coverage
53 attributed words16% of attributed speech92% writer coverage
0%50.0%100.0%Biased Writer Voice+95.6 ptsWriter: 4.4%John Tillis: 100.0%100.0%Politically Left Leaning B-7.0 ptsWriter: 7.0%John Tillis: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.