White House steers Blanche deal to scrap anti-weaponization fund

The White House was directly involved in Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s order rescinding the $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund, with chief of staff Susie Wiles and legislative affairs director James Braid deeply engaged as Blanche negotiated with Senate holdouts Cornyn and Tillis to formalize the rescission and wrap up the deal tied to tax-probe protections; Trump says he didn’t personally review the agreement, though he supported the fund, and some DOJ lawyers question whether Blanche’s memo is legally binding while the nomination process continued.