DOJ Drops Anti-Weaponization Fund; Pentagon Hires Jan. 6 Convict; Primaries Underway
The Justice Department abandoned its proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund after Republican senators signaled insufficient votes to advance related Homeland Security legislation. Separately, the Pentagon appointed Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach, to a sensitive counterterrorism role in the special operations and low intensity conflict office. Several states held primary elections Tuesday, with competitive races in California, Iowa, Maine, and New Mexico drawing national attention.
Progressive outlets highlight the Pentagon's appointment of a January 6 convict to a classified national security role as a troubling normalization of insurrectionist conduct, and frame Trump's deportation campaign as creating widespread fear and educational barriers for legally present immigrants.
The factual record shows the anti-weaponization fund was withdrawn following Republican opposition in Congress, a convicted January 6 participant was appointed to a classified Pentagon role over internal objections, and multiple competitive primaries proceeded Tuesday across several states.
Conservative outlets emphasize Acting AG Blanche's accusations that former AG Garland lacked transparency about his personal involvement in prosecutions targeting Trump, framing the DOJ fund's cancellation as a pragmatic response to congressional fiscal concerns rather than a substantive defeat.
The factual record shows the anti-weaponization fund was withdrawn following Republican opposition in Congress, a convicted January 6 participant was appointed to a classified Pentagon role over internal objections, and multiple competitive primaries proceeded Tuesday across several states.
Acting AG Blanche scrapped the $1.8 billion DOJ fund, the Pentagon hired a Jan. 6 misdemeanor convict for a classified counterterrorism post, and primaries were held Tuesday in California, Iowa, Maine, and New Mexico.