Friday on CNN’s “The Lead,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said the Department of Justice’s so-called anti-weaponization fund was a “gross abuse of discretion.”
Host Jake Tapper said, “You’ve criticized Trump’s 1.776 billion so-called anti weaponization fund. Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed an immigration enforcement package without taking the fund out, even though Democrats attempted to do so. This is after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the administration, had no current plans or is not planning to establish the fund, which was essentially contradicted by President Trump. What’s your reaction to the Senate, leaving this fund in existence? And what’s your take on Blanche? Do you believe him, or do you think he’s playing word games?”
Fitzpatrick said, “Well, I mean, I’m glad that he voluntarily pulled it back, but that’s not enough, Jake. There’s a gaping hole in the law. It’s a 1956 law. The Federal Judgment Fund Act that has been watered down throughout the 60s. And thereafter, they give, an insane amount of discretion to the attorney general to settle cases, any in an appropriation that is pre-wired by Congress. It’s funded in advance without any oversight in any review. And that’s what allowed or afforded this opportunity for abuse. And this was a gross abuse of discretion to advance this fund. So myself and Tom Suozzi as you know, advance are advancing a bill, and we are going to force it to the floor to make sure that we statutorily kill that fund. That is the goal, and we will accomplish that.”
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