GOP Rep. Fitzpatrick Blasts ‘Gross Abuse’ in Weaponization Fund Push
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick condemned the Justice Department's controversial anti-weaponization fund and vowed to push bipartisan legislation to permanently eliminate it.
Speaking on CNN’s The Lead program on Friday, Fitzpatrick, who represents Pennsylvania, criticized the so-called anti-weaponization fund valued at 1.776 billion dollars established under the Trump administration, according to Breitbart News.
The congressman expressed concern that despite Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claiming the administration has no current plans to establish the fund, President Donald Trump appeared to contradict that statement. Host Jake Tapper questioned Fitzpatrick about the Senate’s decision to pass an immigration enforcement package while leaving the fund intact, even after Democrats attempted to remove it.
Fitzpatrick acknowledged Blanche’s voluntary pullback but insisted that that’s not enough. He identified what he described as a dangerous loophole in existing law dating back to 1956.
The Pennsylvania representative pointed to the Federal Judgment Fund Act, which he said has been progressively weakened since the 1960s. According to Fitzpatrick, the law grants excessive discretion to the attorney general to settle cases using Congressional appropriations that are pre-funded without proper oversight or review mechanisms.
Fitzpatrick announced he is working with Representative Tom Suozzi on bipartisan legislation to address the issue. The two lawmakers are advancing a bill that would force a floor vote to statutorily eliminate the fund permanently.
The congressman declared that closing this loophole represents a critical goal that he and his colleagues intend to accomplish through legislative action.
With information from Breitbart News
