A federal judge in Virginia indefinitely blocked the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. The court gave top officials one week to swear under penalty of perjury that the program will not move forward.
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A federal judge denied a watchdog group’s request to temporarily block the Trump administration’s proposed anti-weaponization fund after the Justice Department said it is not moving forward. The judge warned government lawyers: “Don’t play possum with this court.”
President Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer and current acting attorney general, to permanently lead the Justice Department. The nomination is expected to face scrutiny over the Epstein files, January 6 prosecutions and a shelved $1.8 billion fund.
The Justice Department said in court filings that the Trump administration’s proposed anti-weaponization fund is not going forward. It still urged federal judges to reject lawsuits seeking to block the fund on standing and justiciability grounds.
Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, was sentenced to life without parole for the 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors said Banfield and the family’s au pair used a fetish website to lure Ryan to the home as part of a murder scheme.
The Senate passed a $70 billion bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s term. The measure advanced without limits on a disputed $1.776 billion settlement fund that drew bipartisan objections.
The Senate rejected a Democratic bid to block the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund as Republicans push a $70 billion ICE and Border Patrol funding bill. The vote exposed GOP divisions over the fund, which Trump has praised despite administration testimony that it is not moving forward.
Senate Republicans advanced a reconciliation bill to fund immigration agencies after removing White House ballroom-related security money. Internal GOP concerns remain over a Justice Department “anti-weaponization” fund that some senators want permanently barred.