Published by TrenBuzz.com | June 20, 2026 | BREAKING
Key Points at a Glance – Todd Blanche Refuses Judge’s Order
- The DOJ refused Friday to submit court-ordered sworn declarations confirming Trump’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is dead.
- Judge Leonie Brinkema had given Acting AG Todd Blanche, Treasury Secretary Bessent, and Associate AG Stanley Woodward a week to swear the fund was finished.
- The DOJ called the declarations “unnecessary” and said the order raises “serious separation of powers concerns.”
- Blanche told a House panel June 2 “we are not moving forward with the fund, period,” but repeatedly declined to put it in writing.
- The IRS settlement provision shielding Trump and his family from tax audits remains fully intact regardless of the fund’s fate.
- Litigation continues in Alexandria, Virginia, with no resolution date set.
For three weeks, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the same thing out loud, in front of cameras, under oath before Congress. A federal judge asked him to write it down. He said no.
The Justice Department is refusing to provide court declarations from senior officials confirming that a controversial $1.8 billion fund is defunct. In a new court filing Friday, the Justice Department said that the declarations were “unnecessary” and that the judge’s order that the administration file them raises “serious separation of powers concerns.”
The Verbal Promise That Won’t Become a Written One
“We’re not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche told Rep. Grace Meng during a House Appropriations hearing June 2. But near the conclusion of that same hearing, Blanche repeatedly declined to put his commitment in writing, even as Democrats pressed him directly.
Why Judge Brinkema Wanted It in Writing
A federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, extended her block against the DOJ implementing the fund, saying that Blanche’s verbal claim was an insufficient guarantee. Brinkema gave Blanche, Bessent, and Stanley Woodward Jr. a week to submit written sworn declarations that the fund was not going forward.
What Stays Intact No Matter What
Trump, his family members and related business entities remain protected from tax audits and enforcement actions in connection with tax returns filed before last month’s settlement of his IRS lawsuit. “It’s not immunity,” Blanche insisted, even as Democrats like Rep. Rosa DeLauro called it exactly that.
A verbal promise made three separate times. A judge’s direct order to formalize it. And a flat refusal to comply. Whatever the fund’s actual fate, the fight over whether Trump’s DOJ has to put its own words on paper is now the real story.
🔗 [Also Read: ““A Fraud on the Court”: Two Federal Judges Now Reviewing Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund as 35 Former Judges Call It Taxpayer Looting” | TrenBuzz.com]
🔗 [“Premised on Deception”: Miami Judge Reopens Trump’s $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit, Demands Answer to Collusion Allegations by June 12″ | TrenBuzz.com]
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and news reporting purposes only. All quotes and court filing details are sourced from CNN, MS NOW, Axios, CNBC, ABC News, and NPR as of June 19-20, 2026. The litigation remains ongoing with no final ruling. TrenBuzz.com does not provide legal advice. Readers are encouraged to follow credible news and official court sources for real-time updates.