Trump Lashes Out at Lawmaker Holding Up Blanche Vote

President Trump speaks at a Cabinet meeting, (Reuters)
By Michael Rainey

Happy last day of July! Here's what we're cooking up as summer zips into its final month.

Dead or Alive? Trump Defends 'Anti-Weaponization' Fund

President Trump continued to send mixed messages Friday about the controversial "anti-weaponization" fund that was created as part of the settlement of his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS - a controversy that is holding up a vote to confirm his former personal attorney Todd Blanche as Attorney General of the United States.

Asked about the fund by reporters at a Cabinet meeting held at Camp David, Trump said he thinks the $1.776 billion fund is finished, however much he would prefer that it remain viable.

"It's dead, but you know, I wish it weren't," Trump said, adding that he would like to see all the people prosecuted during the Biden administration over the January 6, 2021, mob attack on the Capitol receive compensation for what he characterized as terrible suffering.

"I think people were horribly treated, horribly abused," Trump said. "I'd like to see them compensated for the pain. They lost their families. They committed suicide, many people committed suicide."

Drama continues: Earlier in the day, Trump lashed out at Sen. John Cornyn, one of two Republican senators who are holding up the vote on Blanche as they seek reassurances that the fund has been permanently eliminated, and that a pledge from the IRS to provide Trump and his family with immunity from investigations has some limitations. Blanche has resisted putting any such reassurances in writing.

"John Cornyn never had a problem with the so called 'Fund,' which will not benefit me, but rather the great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, until after I decided to Endorse and Support his Republican Primary opponent in Texas, who easily won the Nomination for the United States Senate," Trump said on his social media platform.

Trump's continued defense of the idea of the fund prompted Republican political strategist Steven Duffield to say on social media, "This does not sound like citizen Trump has agreed to end the Fund. It makes sense that a majority of senators is concerned that he or his co-plaintiffs would sue to enforce the binding settlement agreement."

Further complicating the picture, Trump on Friday appealed a judge's ruling that he and his family could not cite their IRS immunity deal, effectively making it irrelevant.

Tillis pushes back: Although Cornyn made no comments, Sen. Thom Tillis, the other Republican holding up Blanche's nomination, responded to Trump's attack.

"The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it," Tillis said on social media. "While I never disagreed that the Biden Administration pursued a number of vindictive prosecutions related to January 6, the criminals who assaulted police officers and defiled our nation's Capitol are not 'great American patriots' who are 'victims of government abuse.' Anyone who attacked law enforcement should still be in prison, not getting a check from the federal government."

Tillis said he has been working "in good faith" with Cornyn and Blanche to formally end the fund, but blamed "an incompetent personal advisor to the President" for refusing to amend the agreement.

The bottom line: The continued battle over the anti-weaponization fund and Trump's IRS immunity deal makes it less likely that the Senate will vote to confirm Blanche as Attorney General before it leaves for summer break next week.

Quote of the Day

"There are not many tools left in the tool kit to bring down prices. But the general public who has to buy gasoline certainly does not want to hear that, especially amid an affordability crisis that has taken over this country."

  • Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at Dow Jones Energy, speaking to The Washington Post about the energy market after Exxon and Chevron reported a combined $26.5 billion in profits for the second quarter.

The United States has drawn down much of its energy reserves and eased sanctions on major oil producers including Russia in an attempt to lower fuel prices, but the recent renewal of active warfare in the Middle East has pushed prices higher again; as of Friday, the average national price of a gallon of gasoline is $4.10, while diesel sits at $5.35.

Dustin Meyer of the American Petroleum Institute told the Post that there is no evidence of price gouging by the major oil companies, which he said isn't possible in such a large and transparent market. But the windfall profits are real, even if fully above board, driven by the massive jump in energy prices following the start of the war against Iran initiated by the United States and Israel in February. If the price of oil hits $90 a barrel on average in 2026 - roughly where Brent oil futures sit today - the oil industry could record a $425 billion windfall this year, according to analysts at research firm Wood MacKenzie cited by the Post.

Some lawmakers are pushing for the federal government to step in to provide relief. Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, has proposed a windfall tax on oil companies that would provide refund checks to consumers and remain in place until the Strait of Hormuz reopens and crude oil prices fall back under $75 a barrel.

"The President recently posted on social media that 'when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.' The only ones profiting from higher oil prices are U.S. oil companies," Sherman said when he introduced the bill in May. "For American families, rising oil prices mean higher costs and greater financial strain. My bill will ensure oil companies don't profit from the hardship facing working families and will help offset the rising costs that Trump's war has imposed on the American people."

Consumer Sentiment Rises to 5-Month High

A popular measure of consumer sentiment jumped to a five-month high at the end of July, rising almost 12% from June.

The University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment ended the month of July at 55.2, up from 49.5 the month before. Improvements were seen in all surveyed groups, regardless of income, education, wealth and political party. Notably, the percentage of survey respondents mentioning fuel prices as a major concern declined from a peak in June.

Still, the sentiment index is down 10.5% compared to a year ago, and worries about fuel prices remain elevated.

"Despite this month's improvement in sentiment, consumers do not feel like they are thriving in the current economy," survey director Joanne Hsu said. "While consumers certainly appreciate that gasoline prices remain below the highs seen in May 2026, the continuation of shipping constraints in the Middle East may make it challenging to sustain any upward momentum in confidence."

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