Durbin Denounces Trump’s Nearly $2 Billion Slush Fund For January 6 Insurrectionists & Political Allies

Durbin Denounces Trump's Nearly $2 Billion Slush Fund For January 6 Insurrectionists & Political Allies

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today slammed the Trump Administration for its nearly $2 billion U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) slush fund, which will allow January 6 insurrectionists and the President's corrupt allies to line their pockets with taxpayer dollars. While DOJ announced it will abide by a district court's injunction and pause the slush fund for now, Senate Democrats will continue to push back on any new efforts to implement this so-called "anti-weaponization" fund.

Durbin began his remarks by noting that this so-called "anti-weaponization" fund is deeply unpopular, even among the President's closest allies in the Senate. Rather than greenlight the President's plan, Senate Republicans fled Washington last month to avoid publicly taking a stance through anticipated votes on the fund. As a result, Senate Republicans have blown past their self-imposed deadline to pass a hyper-partisan reconciliation bill to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

"Today is June 1, the arbitrary deadline President Trump imposed on congressional Republicans to send their partisan funding bill to his desk for signature. So why aren't our Republican colleagues heading to the White House today for a flashy bill signing ceremony to fund more abuses by ICE?... Because two weeks ago, Senate Republicans left town after an internal revolt over the President's so-called 'anti-weaponization' fund-a nearly $1.8 billion-that's more than the ballroom-slush fund for the President's cronies and allies," Durbin said.

Durbin denounced the slush fund, underscoring that it would use taxpayer dollars to offer payouts to violent insurrectionists who continue to wreak havoc in their communities. Durbin spoke about Brandon Fellows, an insurrectionist who forcibly broke into the U.S. Capitol and is now seeking $30 million from the Trump slush fund.

"Who would be eligible for any part of the $1.8 billion fund? People like Brandon Fellows… He was pardoned by President Trump, with a full and unconditional presidential pardon, for being one of the January 6 insurrectionists who was convicted and sentenced on felony and misdemeanor charges for climbing an exterior wall of the Capitol, entering the building through a broken window," Durbin said. "Has he shown any remorse since he was convicted of that crime? No. He still believes President Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election and the conspiracy theory that January 6-which he is on video participating in-was a setup."

"[Brandon] likes to spend his free time dressing up as an ICE agent and encouraging others to do the same to terrorize immigrants. How much is Mr. Fellows seeking from the 'anti-weaponization' slush fund? He thinks the 'inconvenience' he encountered is worth $30 million," Durbin continued.

Durbin emphasized that while Americans are struggling to make ends meet, the President's primary focus is on securing millions for his political allies.

"We can expect droves of other January 6 insurrectionists to also seek these cash rewards, even those who have continued to threaten our communities by committing more crimes…ranging from conspiracy to murder to child sex abuse and exploitation," Durbin said. "While American families are struggling to afford gas for their cars, put food on their tables, pay their utility bills, thanks to Trump's tariffs and war of choice in Iran, the President wants to hand lofty payouts to his political buddies and the criminals who attacked our democracy as his request."

Durbin continued, noting that the President also corruptly leveraged his position in the White House to ensure that the IRS cannot audit his family and their companies.

"I'll also note that, as part of that settlement, the IRS is permanently barred from auditing past tax returns of President Trump, his family, and related companies," Durbin said. "President Trump wanted a 'get out of jail' card from the federal government [to ensure] that he would never be prosecuted for tax fraud… Is this a Monopoly game? If it is, it's embarrassing."

Durbin concluded his speech by reiterating his commitment to fighting back against the President's corruption and abuses of power.

"Seante Democrats will continue to fight this unprecedented and unacceptable $1.8 billion slush fund for January 6 insurrectionists and Trump loyalists. And we will work to half the flow of taxpayer dollars to Trump's mass deportation campaign while standing ready to have a serious, bipartisan negotiation about the need for reforms to our immigration system," Durbin concluded his remarks.

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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