The top Republican senator has turned on Donald Trump over his $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded payout to his political allies.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has come out against the ‘anti-weaponization’ settlement approved by the Justice Department. Under the deal, Trump dropped his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a fund channeling taxpayer money to victims of ‘lawfare,’ including January 6 rioters.
‘Yeah, not a big fan. I’m not sure exactly how they intend to use it. But my understanding is that was just announced,’ Thune told reporters. ‘But yeah, I don’t see a purpose for it.’
The $1.776 billion fund will have the power to issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants. While Trump is barred from directly receiving payments from the fund, entities associated with him are not explicitly prohibited from filing additional ones.
Other top GOP lawmakers, including outgoing Senator Bill Cassidy, a top Trump critic who just lost his primary, called the compensation efforts a ‘slush fund’ and questioned the administration’s legal authority to hand out money to people investigated or prosecuted under Biden.
‘Somebody explained it to me this way, an attorney,’ Senator Cassidy said. ‘It is as if somebody sued themselves and agreed upon a settlement with themselves that’s going to be funded by the rest of us. If that’s the case: What?!’
Senator Rand Paul, another prominent Republican who is backing Trump’s Senate rival Thomas Massie in his upcoming primary race, also slammed the President’s payout fund.
‘I’ve never heard of someone negotiating with themselves and making a plea bargain with themselves, so I think there’s no precedent for it,’ Trump said.
F. John Thune. These were everyday Americans doing nothing wrong and being set up by the corrupt democrats. They suffered loss of jobs, and money to have legal representation. They are owed by the government and maybe more specifically the democratic party.
And if anyone out there thinks it was an honest election, ask yourself this. When was the last time you saw more than a million people outside the Capital protesting an election? Never in my life. Americans smelled a rat and we are only now getting justics.
So F John Thune and any other lawmaker from either side of the aisle.
MAGA