Trump, Tillis feud over $1.8 billion fund for those deemed politically persecuted
Good morning! I hope you all had a restful Memorial Day. I’m Danielle Battaglia here with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.
Grab a coffee and a biscotti to enjoy while I explain how a $1.8 billion fund from a settlement tanked funding for immigration enforcement and left Sen. Thom Tillis in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. It’s a wild ride.
Last week, the Justice Department announced a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund to be distributed to people targeted by the government.
The fund was created in a settlement after Trump sued the IRS for leaking his tax return. The out-of court-settlement permanently ended any investigations into Trump, his family members and his businesses. In exchange, Trump dropped his lawsuit against the government — that he runs.
There was immediate outcry that this is a slush fund for Trump allies and those charged with participation in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump pardoned the Jan. 6 participants as soon as he got into office.
There are more than 30 residents of North Carolina who faced charges for that day. And since Trump allies could also try to claim the funds, it’s worth noting that Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows and his attorney Sidney Powell, both former North Carolina residents, were charged, and the latter convicted for the part they played in attempting to overturn President Joe Biden’s election.
Two of the officers injured during the insurrection already filed a lawsuit to stop the money from being distributed.
Tillis calls it ‘stupid on stilts’
My competitor, Reuben Jones, who I affectionately call my frenemy (Spectrum News is the rare outlet with a Washington-based correspondent who specializes in North Carolina politics), found Sen. Thom Tillis in the Capitol and asked him his thoughts on this fund.
And he had some.
“I think it’s stupid on stilts,” Tillis said. “It will invariably put us in a position where my taxpayer dollars and your taxpayer dollars could potentially compensate someone who assaulted a police officer, admitted their guilt, got convicted, got pardoned, and now we’re going to pay them for that.”
The Republican from Huntersville called that “absurd” and said Americans will reject it.
“When you take money from me to give to a purpose that I vehemently disagree with, that’s tyranny and that’s what that account is,” he added.
Tillis has been an outspoken critic of the Jan. 6 insurrection. And he wasn’t the only one speaking out against the fund last week.
And U.S. Treasury General Counsel Brian Morrissey resigned quickly after the settlement’s announcement.
Who could apply for money?
In a Senate hearing, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers that anyone could apply for the money, including Biden’s son, Hunter.
Which leads to the question: Is former FBI Director James Comey looking to cash in? He was just charged with threatening Trump for taking photos of seashells that spelled out “86 47” on a North Carolina beach.
One more important piece of context with this new fund is it expires just weeks before Trump leaves office.
Effect on the Senate
News of this account has had ripple effects that impacted Trump’s agenda.
The Senate was looking to pass a reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement by the end of last week. Trump asked that the bill be on his desk by June 1.
If the Senate agreed to it last week, the House would still need to take it up.
At the beginning of the week, Senate Republicans were concerned about a line item to fund the White House ballroom, but that problem seemed surmountable. But when questions arose about whether an amendment would come up over this new fund, leadership punted the entire process, sent members home, and Congress is now on recess until June 1.
And it doesn’t seem like Trump took the news too well.
On Friday morning, he posted about Tillis saying, “I called him a ‘Nitpicker,’ always fighting against the Republican Party, and ME, mostly on things that didn’t matter.”
He also said, “Now he can have all the fun he wants for a few months, with some of his RINO friends, screwing the Republican Party. In the end it will only get bigger, and better, and stronger, than ever before!!!”
Tillis questioned Trump’s use of “nitpicking” in a social media post of his own, but went through items he disagreed with, asking which adviser gave him bad advice to support those.
“If opposing these things makes me a RINO, then I gladly accept that nickname,” Tillis wrote. “We need Republicans to do well in November, but the stupid stuff is killing our chances!”
Other stories you won’t want to miss:
- NC Republicans file bill to reduce early voting period ahead of November midterms
- Senate confirms NC’s Dan Bishop, Ellis Boyle for US attorney positions
- What happens next in the Comey ‘86 47’ case? The key dates and decisions ahead
- NC is one of the most at-risk states for hurricanes, report says. Here’s why
- NC insurance commissioner accused of sending ‘uncomfortable’ texts to ex-staffer
- Lobbyist and former NC lawmaker is no longer on firm’s website
- What NC State grad, astronaut Christina Koch said about the Carolina Hurricanes
- Former Durham Committee PAC chair indicted in $75K embezzlement case
- Mysterious World War I mannequin turns up downtown. Fun with how and why.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and supporting local journalism.
Be kind to each other. If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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