Media, GOP rebels unite against Trump Jan. 6 fund

Here’s the usual media narrative: Donald Trump did something terrible (or ugly, or borderline crazy), and Republicans in Congress are wimps who won’t stand up to him.

Rinse, dry, repeat.

But this has changed dramatically in the last few days.

New story arc:

Donald Trump has done something unorthodox, and brave Republicans are standing up to him.

They’re mad as hell and they can’t take it anymore.

THE ART OF PERFECTION: HOW DID TRUMP SURVIVE EVEN HIS WORST MISTAKES BY EXACT REPEATMENT?

If you don’t remember this happening before during Trump’s second term, that’s because it didn’t happen.

Now the press and much of the GOP are marching in unison.

This is a rebellion. Practically a revolution. While most journalists love intraparty bickering on both sides (like the Democrats’ idiotic autopsy in 2024), they especially like a development that looks like it could break, or at least loosen, Trump’s iron grip on power.

There was something about Trump’s decision to largely use $1.8 billion to pay for those convicted of crimes on January 6 that was a bridge too far. Some of these people attacked and injured police officers, took over members’ offices, and chanted for Mike Pence to be hanged.

The money came from the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. He was legitimately wronged by the leak of his tax returns to the New York Times; This showed that for 10 of the 15 years he (legally) paid no income taxes, and in the other two years he paid only $750.

But this situation was strange because the head of the government was suing one of its institutions. The leaker, a former IRS contractor, was sentenced to five years in prison.

It is the culmination of the president’s five-year effort to recast the protesters he summoned to Washington and led to march on the Capitol as patriots rather than lawbreakers. This contrasts inappropriately with the relentless violence we all saw on our television screens as the rebellion unfolded. It was one of the darkest days in American history, aimed at preventing Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

AOC, RO KHANNA AND THE MEDIA MOVE TO MISS THE CONTEST AFTER 18 MONTHS

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The news is exploding, with even many Republicans on the Hill vehemently objecting to what critics call the “slush fund.”

Things exploded when Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former defense attorney, met with Senate Republicans.

Sen. Ted Cruz, who called it an “all-out riot,” said, “I’d guess there were probably 45 senators in the room, at least half of them were attacking the attorney general. … They were yelling at the acting attorney general.”

Mitch McConnell, no fan of the president, put it this way:

“So the nation’s top law enforcement official wants a slush fund to pay people who attack cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong – Take your pick.”

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who lost his primary thanks to Trump, said on X:

“People are interested in paying their mortgage or their rent, paying for their food and gas, and paying for gas, not creating a $1.8 billion fund for the President and his allies to pay whoever they want without any legal precedent or accountability.”

Republican Senator Ron Johnson called the entire effort a “galactic blunder” on CNN.

Senator Tommy Tuberville argued that Trump’s plan was aimed at “hundreds of innocent patriots.”

After a heated session on the so-called “anti-proliferation” fund, GOP leaders worried about having to vote on the fund canceled a planned vote on a $72 billion measure to curb illegal immigration.

They also refused to approve $1 billion for the White House ballroom, which the president is obsessed with building.

GATHERING THE SUPREME COURT? WHILE THE PARTY IS QUICKLY FORGETTING JOE BIDEN, THE KAMALA HARRIS IDEA IS PROGRESSING

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is seen in an undated photo. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The media was suddenly abuzz with praise for these rebellious Republicans, who, with a few exceptions, were not generally viewed as allies.

The most likely outcome, in my view, is a soft compromise that includes some changes to how awards are awarded. This is how Hill often deals with difficult questions.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

But in the end, as with most things, Donald Trump will likely get his way, reaching the culmination of his dogged campaign to whitewash the ugly image of the lawbreakers of January 6th.

Footnote: The timing cannot be a coincidence. Many Republicans, as well as Democrats and their counterparts on the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, have been openly critical of the outlines of Trump’s deal with Iran.

“It doesn’t make much sense to me,” said Senator Thom Tillis.

“A 60-day ceasefire with the belief that Iran will act in good faith would be a disaster,” said Senator Roger Wicker.

While the details are still being negotiated, the main objection is that the United States should give in to Iran’s demand to deal with nuclear issues without any time limit after the Strait of Hormuz and other issues are resolved.

War hawk and friend of the president Lindsey Graham says the vaguely defined delay on nuclear weapons “makes one wonder why the war started.”

Perhaps the previously unthinkable idea of ​​Republicans openly challenging Trump is now gaining traction.