Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche pays his respects during a memorial tribute for the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on July 28, 2026, in Washington, DC., U.S. Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson called out the shot caller keeping Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche from killing the anti-weaponization fund.
Blanche is courting the Senate Judiciary Committee to secure the role of President Donald Trump's attorney general, but he has stopped short of making key concessions that would help make him a shoo-in.
Carlson noted that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told Blanche to meet with Epstein survivors to secure his vote, and Blanche responded by holding that meeting shortly after. However, Carlson said, "he apparently wasn't even nice in the particular meeting that he was basically told to have," as Epstein survivors reported that Blanche told them to "get to the point."
However, Blanche hasn't been so quick to give in to demands by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Cornyn asked Blanche to put into writing his vow that Trump's anti-weaponization fund is dead. Blanche refused, despite previously saying that the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund, which critics worry will be used as a slush fund by Trump's allies and January 6 rioters, is dead.
"What's really interesting is the slush fund must be more important," in Trump's mind, Carlson said. "Because this is what he is saying that he will not sign off on it tonight. It has to be coming from Trump, right?"
CNN anchor Erin Burnett agreed, saying, "That's the person who ultimately controls this."
Carlson was disturbed, though, that others would even be willing to vote to confirm Blanche. "Why is everyone else who's going to give a yes vote okay with how the Epstein files were handled?" she asked, as Blanche handled their release as deputy AG.