Republican Sen. Thom Tillis criticized the Trump administration's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" a "payout pot for punks."
"These people don't deserve restitution; they- many of them deserve to be in prison," Tillis said following reports that January 6 defendants and Trump allies are already lining up to seek compensation from the fund.
Tillis, who is not seeking reelection and has criticized Trump on different issues, went on to call on Republican colleagues who oppose the measures to speak up, saying "this is not good for my colleagues."
"There's no one positive thing that could be spun out of this between now and November. This is bad policy, it's bad timing, and it's bad politics," he added.
In fact, critics to the fund prompted Senate Republican leaders to postpone a vote on a party package to fund ICE and Border Patrol until June.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Trump officials "need to help with this issue, because we have a lot of members who are concerned, obviously, about the timing, but also about the substance."
Asked whether the fund played a role in the decision, he said: "Well, that's a big issue."
Sen. Bill Cassidy, who recently lost his primary and has since broken with his fellow Republicans in a war powers resolution vote, said he thinks "the administration is putting itself in a bad spot."
The fund in question, announced by the Justice Department this week, will have the power to issue formal apologies and provide monetary relief to approved claimants. The DOJ said there are "no partisan requirements" to apply and that any unspent money will return to the federal government when the fund stops processing claims by Dec. 1, 2028.
But the first wave of public interest is coming from Trump supporters, Jan. 6 defendants and longtime allies who say prosecutions, investigations or public scrutiny damaged their lives and finances.
Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader sentenced to 22 years for seditious conspiracy before Trump pardoned Jan. 6 defendants last year, told Reuters he planned to apply and estimated he could seek between $2 million and $5 million. "I'm not greedy," Tarrio said. "But my life was all f---ked up because of this."
Other names surfacing include former Rep. George Santos, who told The Post he is considering applying but wants an apology more than money, and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who said he had not decided but continues seeking vindication after his corruption conviction and Trump pardon.
The program has triggered immediate legal and political backlash. Harry Dunn, a retired U.S. Capitol Police officer, and Daniel Hodges, a Metropolitan Police officer, sued to block the fund, alleging it would reward people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their lawsuit called it a "taxpayer-funded slush fund" and accused Trump of using federal money to finance political allies.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers he would not commit to barring payouts to people who assaulted police on Jan. 6. The fund immediately drew criticism from Democrats and watchdog groups, who described it as an extraordinary use of taxpayer money to benefit Trump allies. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called the arrangement a "slush fund" for Trump loyalists and said it could benefit people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
