DOJ Abandons Anti-Weaponization Fund as Trump Names Loyalist to Intelligence Post
Acting AG Tells Congress DOJ Will Not Pursue Anti-Weaponization Fund
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House panel on June 2, 2026, that the Justice Department is “not moving forward” with President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, a controversial initiative that had drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and some Republicans who argued it was designed to bankroll politically motivated prosecutions against the administration’s rivals. Blanche’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee marked the most direct public acknowledgment from a senior DOJ official that the fund — one of Trump’s signature campaign-era legal threats — would not materialize as originally conceived. The announcement immediately shifted the focus on Capitol Hill to an unrelated but equally charged fight: the Senate’s push to advance Trump’s $70 billion immigration enforcement bill.
The anti-weaponization fund, announced during Trump’s 2024 campaign, was pitched as a mechanism to investigate and prosecute what the campaign described as the “weaponization” of federal law enforcement against conservatives. Critics immediately raised constitutional alarms, with former federal prosecutors and legal scholars arguing the fund as described would effectively place a political slush fund inside the Justice Department, violating both separation of powers and the appropriations clause. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats called the fund “a roadmap for political prosecutions” and threatened to tie confirmation battles to its elimination. Blanche’s decision to drop the initiative — without prior notice to Congress — left Democratic lawmakers claiming credit while prompting fresh scrutiny of what else inside the DOJ may be operating outside its traditional bounds.
Senate Republicans Move to Advance $70 Billion Immigration Bill
Hours after Blanche’s testimony, Senate GOP leaders said they would press for a vote as soon as Wednesday to open debate on the sweeping immigration legislation, which proposes to fund the hiring of thousands of new Border Patrol agents, immigration judges, and detention officers. The bill represents the largest single immigration-spending package since the 2025 border emergency declaration and is being pushed through Congress under reconciliation rules that shield it from a Democratic filibuster. GOP leaders acknowledged they could afford to lose only three Republican votes to clear the procedural hurdle, a razor-thin margin that has left Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Leader John Thune in constant whip count mode. Senate sources told CNN that leadership believes they have the votes, but conservative holdouts remain a wildcard.
“This is the most consequential immigration bill in a generation, and it deserves a full debate on the floor,” Thune told reporters outside the Capitol. “Our members understand what’s at stake.” Democrats counter that the legislation would gut asylum processing, eliminate humanitarian parole programs, and direct billions toward a deportation infrastructure that civil rights groups have called indiscriminate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill “a deportation wish list dressed up as a funding mechanism” and vowed to use every procedural tool available to slow it down.
Trump Names Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence
In a move that sent ripples through the intelligence community, Trump named Bill Pulte — a former housing official with no publicly known intelligence background — as acting director of national intelligence on June 2. Pulte, who previously served as head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, had become one of Trump’s most visible surrogates on his political revenge tour, amplifying attacks on perceived enemies of the administration across social media. The appointment bypassed a long list of experienced intelligence professionals and acting officials who had been serving in acting capacities for months. Career intelligence officials and former national security officials from both parties expressed alarm at the choice.
“This is not a placeholder appointment — this is a deliberate signal that loyalty matters more than competence when it comes to America’s most sensitive intelligence operations,” said a former senior intelligence official who asked not to be named due to ongoing security clearances. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence oversees 18 intelligence agencies and coordinates intelligence collection and analysis for the White House. Several Democratic senators called for an emergency confirmation hearing and demanded that Pulte appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee before receiving any classified briefings. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker said he would schedule a hearing “as soon as practicable” but declined to give a specific timeline.
What Happens Next
The convergence of three major developments in a single day underscores the velocity of Trump’s second-term agenda and the difficulty Congress faces in keeping pace. The DOJ’s reversal on the anti-weaponization fund may dampen one line of Democratic attack ads but does little to resolve the underlying questions about the administration’s use of law enforcement as a political instrument. The immigration bill vote, expected this week, will test whether Trump’s legislative coalition can hold under the pressure of a whip count. And the Pulte appointment sets up a confirmation fight that will force senators from both parties to go on record about whether they believe intelligence oversight requires professional credentials — or simply the President’s trust.
