President says anti-weaponization fund 'is dead' and urges swift confirmation of acting AG Blanche

Reporters asked whether victims of alleged government "weaponization" should be paid and whether the administration would put the status of the so-called anti-weaponization fund in writing. The president replied, "It is dead," while also saying he sympathized with people he said had been harmed and urged the confirmation of acting Attorney General Blanche.

"He should be approved forthwith," the president said of Blanche. The transcript records the president's expressions of sympathy for people he described as harmed and his view that some officials should not be made "pawns" of political disputes. The exchange included repeated references to past investigations and political effects, but the transcript does not include an official statement from the Justice Department or a written policy change on the fund's status.

Coverage should distinguish between the president's statement in the meeting and any formal Justice Department release or congressional record; the transcript does not itself constitute an official policy document from the Department of Justice.