A Payout Pot for Punks

Hey, Popok here.

In just one day, Donald Trump had to confront a reality he never imagined: he’s losing the Senate.

Not the Democrats. Republicans.

After politically storming into the Senate chamber and going after senators like Bill Cassidy and others in his own party, Trump managed to do the one thing no Republican consultant thought possible: create a fresh crop of GOP senators with absolutely nothing left to lose.

Now they’re telling him to go pound sand.

Trump demanded that his grotesque $1.8 billion so-called “weaponization fund,” which conveniently doubles as a giant tax write-off and bailout mechanism for him, his family, and his cronies, be rushed through before Memorial Day.

The response from Senate Republicans?

“We’re taking recess. See you later.”

That’s not Democratic resistance. That’s Republican mutiny.

There is no political appetite in America for taxpayers underwriting Donald Trump’s personal grievances, legal exposure, and fantasy victimhood campaign. Americans are struggling to pay mortgages, childcare, insurance, and grocery bills while Trump wants a billion-dollar slush fund because people investigated him for things he actually did.

And the senators know it.

Trump thought he only had a problem with Thom Tillis. Now he has three or four more Thom Tillises roaming the Senate halls. Senators he threatened. Senators he targeted. Senators he promised to primary. Senators who now understand they gain more politically by opposing him than kneeling before him.

So when Tillis reportedly called this monstrosity exactly what it is, “a payout pot for punks,” he gave every nervous Republican senator permission to say no.

And suddenly the spell broke.

Meanwhile, the hard work is still happening where it matters most: the courtrooms.

Today, I had the honor of interviewing Brendan Ballou, lawyer and CEO of the Public Integrity Project, who is proudly representing two Capitol Police officers in the first lawsuit attempting to stop this corrupt payout scheme before a dime leaves the Treasury.

The case has now landed before one of Donald Trump’s least favorite judges: Richard Leon.

Yes, that Judge Leon.

The same federal judge who has stopped Trump before and who understands exactly what abuse of executive power looks like when it walks into a courtroom wearing a red tie and carrying a grievance complex.

Frankly, Trump should have seen this coming.

A few days ago, Senate Republicans already killed his absurd “Golden Ballroom Fund,” the vanity project designed to subsidize his latest gold-plated ego trip. That should have been the warning shot.

If Republicans were not willing to bankroll Trump’s ballroom fantasy, why would they feel better about a weaponization fund almost twice the size?

And sending Attorney General Todd Blanche into the Senate chamber to twist arms spectacularly backfired.

Nobody trusts him. Why would they?

Just days earlier, during sworn testimony, Blanche conveniently forgot to mention that the administration was preparing a memo designed to magically absolve the Trump family of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in tax exposure and audit liability.

Funny how that slipped his mind.

And no, the DOJ’s hastily drafted “everybody can apply” language does not solve the corruption problem.

Although, I do have an idea.

If the Department of Justice insists this fund is open to all victims of “weaponization,” then I think all of us qualify.

You. Me. Every member of the Legal AF and Meidas Mighty community.

After all, we have all watched Donald Trump weaponize the Department of Justice against political enemies, journalists, prosecutors, judges, immigrants, universities, law firms, and ordinary Americans.

So maybe we should all apply.

Flood the portal.

Crash the site.

Break the internet with protest applications.

Because if Trump wants to turn the DOJ into a grievance reimbursement program, perhaps millions of Americans should submit receipts.

I’m glad you’re here.

We’ve already had a tremendous week. In addition to my interview with Brendan, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro joined me for a blockbuster conversation about new litigation challenging Trump’s refusal to regulate artificial intelligence targeting vulnerable Americans. I also spoke with NYCLU head of immigration litigation, Amy Belsher and former New Jersey Attorney General, Matt Platkin.

And we’re just getting started.

There are many more stories we’re following together here.

Thank you for being a subscriber.

Until next time,

Popok