The end of Trump's 'weaponisation' fund is another sign Republicans are fighting back

The end of Trump's 'weaponisation' fund is another sign Republicans are fighting backJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDaniel BushWashington correspondentGetty ImagesTodd Blanche, pictured with Trump in the press briefing room, has been the face of the fund President Donald Trump's plan to hand out $1.8bn (£1.3bn) in taxpayer funding to political allies lasted all of two weeks before his Department of Justice (DOJ) abandoned the idea amid an intense backlash from Republicans in Congress.The justice department's decision to officially end the "anti-weaponisation" fund on Tuesday followed a revolt within Trump's own party. Republicans threatened to derail a critical immigration bill if the administration didn't drop the plan to give public funds to Trump supporters - including, potentially, rioters who participated in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.Republican lawmakers and Trump allies viewed the controversy as an unforced error by Trump in a moment when the president and his party can least afford one."This was a total self-inflicted wound and completely unnecessary," said a former Trump adviser who asked not to be named to speak candidly."It speaks to the president's myopic view sometimes," the source added. "He's going to do what he wants to do regardless of whether it hurts Republicans."Trump is grappling with an unpopular war in Iran, high gas prices at home and a low approval rating that could drag down Republicans in the midterm elections.The fund, part of a settlement over a lawsuit Trump dropped against the IRS, would have paid people the administration decided were unjustly targeted by the Biden administration. It also banned current tax audits of Trump and his family and businesses, a provision Republicans and Democrats criticised as corrupt. The adminstration argued the fund was needed to "make whole" Americans wrongly prosecuted in the past...