A Senate Appropriations Committee hearing erupted into a sharp exchange on Tuesday as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) questioned Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over a newly proposed $1.776 billion Department of Justice fund.
The confrontation centered on whether individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot could potentially receive financial payouts from the fund. Sen. Van Hollen pressed Blanche on concerns raised by Capitol Police officers that rioters might benefit from what critics have termed a “slush fund.”
Blanche disputed the premise of the lawmaker’s questioning, stating, “I didn’t say it couldn’t be true, Senator. I didn’t say it couldn’t be true. I said it was surprising that it was true.” He declined to speculate on whether individuals were anticipating payments, adding, “No, I haven’t. I don’t know what that… but I won’t speculate.”
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During the exchange, Van Hollen submitted a January 2026 Washington Post article into the record, quoting the President as saying regarding the group, “A lot of people in government now talk about it because a lot of people in government really like that group of people.”
When asked if he was aware of the statement, Blanche replied, “I have never read the Washington Post.”
“Well, Mr. Attorney General, you are in a bubble,” Van Hollen responded.
The debate intensified when Van Hollen read from a Hernando County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office affidavit involving a pardoned January 6 rioter later charged with child molestation. According to the affidavit, the individual allegedly claimed he was being awarded $10 million as a result of his involvement in the Capitol riot and attempted to use the promise of future money to keep a victim from exposing the abuse.
Blanche reacted to the details of the affidavit, stating, “I think that what you just read is disgusting. I’m very—It’s horrible that that happened. But what—that’s not what I said. I mean, you can say ‘you’re telling me’ and then make up something that I’m not saying…or you can let me speak.”
Blanche accused the senator of mischaracterizing his previous testimony regarding the status of the fund, stating, “You repeatedly put words in my mouth… Words matter.”
Van Hollen also questioned the oversight structure of the fund, asking if Blanche would agree to have a federal judge sign off on and approve the proposal before proceeding. Blanche noted that the underlying legal case had been dismissed by a judge the previous night following a settlement.
When Van Hollen noted that the commission overseeing the fund would include members selected by Blanche, he referenced Blanche’s past legal career.
Blanche pushed back on the characterization, saying, “I’m the Acting Attorney General. The fact that I used to be President Trump’s lawyer is just a fact, but I’m the Acting Attorney General. So don’t say the president’s former personal lawyer will do something—the Acting Attorney General will do so.”
“Mr. Attorney General, you are acting today like the president’s personal attorney, and that’s the whole problem,” Van Hollen said before concluding his remarks.
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