Jon Stewart on Wednesday ripped President Donald Trump and his administration over its “smash and grab” on the U.S. in response to his Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
“They are just grabbing whatever they can and pretending that it’s renumeration for some victimhood that they faced, that’s all fictitious,” said Stewart as he likened the administration to a “horde of teens” ransacking a store and bystanders doing nothing about it on his “Weekly Show” podcast.
Stewart is the latest voice to chime in on what critics are calling a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies, a money pot intended to drop taxpayer money into the wallets of victims of “weaponization and lawfare.”
The creation of the fund is a result of Trump dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. Vice President JD Vance and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche have said Jan. 6 rioters will be eligible for payouts, as Democrats have sought to block criminals, including child sex offenders and people who have assaulted police officers, from receiving funds. Blanche told CNN on Wednesday that whether someone assaulted an officer or not will factor into awarding claimants.
On his “Weekly Show” podcast, Stewart brought up the fund when he was asked who he’d vote for between Richard Nixon and Donald Trump.
He said he’d pick Nixon before bringing up his vice president, Spiro Agnew, and how he met his downfall after allegedly taking bribes from contractors during his days as a politician in Maryland.
“At least it was straight-up bribes,” Stewart said. “This is fucking our money! I mean it’s — do we even have a Congress? Or a court?”
The comedian, moments after producer Lauren Walker remarked on her “faith in the system” still existing somewhere within her, predicted that any hearings would simply “devolve into grandstanding that gets it nothing.”
“We’re in the Upside Down,” he stressed.
Stewart later recalled his fight to help extend medical benefits for 9/11 first responders before revealing what’s “most stunning” to him about the creation of Trump fund.
“I don’t think we even know who to turn to — when you see this level of corruption and this lack of transparency… I don’t even know who to call, there’s no 911 for this, no one’s coming to the rescue,” Stewart said.
“This is all about electoral politics. These guys got to go, electorally.”