Todd Blanche wouldn’t rule out “weaponization” payments going to January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen pressed the acting attorney general on whether people convicted of assaulting officers during the January 6 Capitol riot could receive money from President Trump’s newly announced $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Blanche said he could not commit to barring those payments. The fund was created to compensate people who claim they were targeted by politically motivated prosecutions. Critics say it could benefit Trump allies, including some January 6 defendants. The hearing was originally focused on the Justice Department’s 2027 budget request. Blanche requested $41.2 billion in federal funding, a 13% increase from the previous year. It grew tense as Democrats questioned him over the fund, the department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, and the DOJ’s direction under Trump. Since Trump returned to office, the Justice Department has dropped cases against some of his allies, pursued cases against his critics, and lost thousands of staff members. Republicans largely defended Blanche and praised the administration’s approach, saying it was reversing what they described as politically motivated law enforcement under the Biden administration. #january6 #toddblanche #doj #trump #uspolitics