SouthernWorldwide.com – Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., engaged in a heated exchange during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. The confrontation arose after Van Hollen accused a Jan. 6 rioter, pardoned by President Donald Trump, of planning to use restitution money to silence victims of child sexual abuse.
Blanche, who was testifying about the Justice Department’s fiscal year 2027 budget, directly accused Van Hollen of “obviously lying” in his questioning. The hearing took place just a day after the Justice Department announced the establishment of a $1.776 billion fund for individuals claiming to be victims of government “lawfare.”
Senator Van Hollen, serving as the ranking member of the committee, had previously labeled the newly created fund as a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies. He expressed concern that the money could potentially benefit individuals indicted for their roles in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots. President Trump had previously pardoned or commuted the sentences of over 1,500 people charged or convicted in connection with the Capitol riots.
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Among those pardoned was Andrew Paul Johnson, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in March 2026 for the sexual abuse of two minors. Van Hollen questioned Blanche directly about whether the fund’s rules would prevent individuals like Johnson from receiving payouts.
“That person actually tried to buy the silence of these children by saying that he would pay them some of the funds that he was hoping to get from your slush fund,” Van Hollen stated. “Can you commit to making the rules so that that person is not eligible for a payout under this fund?”
Blanche responded firmly, “Well, you’re obviously lying in your question, because there’s no way that this person committed to that. The slush fund, as you call it… didn’t exist.”
The senator pointed at Blanche and issued a warning. “Don’t ever do that again. I am reporting what he said,” Van Hollen retorted. “He said on the expectation that he hoped to get some of the funds from a payout.”
The exchange referenced a Discord message from Johnson to one of his victims. In the message, Johnson reportedly stated he was expecting to receive $10,000,000 as a result of being a “jan 6’er” and indicated he would include the victim in his “will” for any remaining funds. Van Hollen read this affidavit aloud during the hearing.
Blanche countered by emphasizing that the Anti-Weaponization Fund, or the alleged “slush fund,” had not yet been established when Johnson made these statements to his victims. This point highlighted that the promises were made prior to the fund’s existence.
Van Hollen continued to argue that the fund was designed to assist Trump’s associates. “This is the fund that the president and all of you have been telegraphing all along that you are going to use to help the president’s friends,” he asserted.
The Justice Department’s pardon attorney, Ed Martin, is noted as the sole Trump administration official to have explicitly advocated for restitution for those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, citing “lawfare.” However, Democratic senators maintain that the Justice Department has taken steps to facilitate restitution for these defendants.
