Trump Ally Gets Roasted in CNN Brawl Over $1.8B Slush Fund: ‘I’m Really Embarrassed For You!’

An ally of President Donald Trump got roasted by a fellow CNN Newsnight panelist during a brawl over the $1.8 billion slush fund that the administration claims it has abandoned for good.

Trump announced on Wednesday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is his selection to assume the position permanently, setting up a battle for Senate confirmation. The handling of the Epstein Files and the so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund” figure to be key issues in that process.

While Blanche has said the fund is dead, he refused to say he would put that in writing and Trump says he still supports it.

On Thursday night’s edition of CNN NewsNight, anchor Abby Phillip hosted a panel that included Keith Boykin, Caroline Sunshine, Ashley Allison, Arthur Aidala, and Terry Moran.

When Sunshine — a former Trump senior campaign spokesperson — tried to defend the fund, Boykin got into it with her and said “I’m really embarrassed for you”:

SUNSHINE: Well, I think there’s a couple things going on here. One, I think Pam Bondi has absolutely laid the groundwork for Todd Blanche to have a difficult confirmation. And I think she used her time in that closed-door session, where she was under — sworn under oath in front of Congress as the former attorney general and as Todd Blanche’s former boss to say, he ran the whole process, and he was in charge of the whole release, and the Dow’s at 50,000, right?

And so she’s now laid the groundwork for that to be a confirmation where Democrats can essentially have a layup and say, there’s no way I can vote for this guy. I can’t. This is about women. This is about protecting, because like you said, other people have noticed this has been a politically toxic issue for the president.

I’m sure there’s a lot we’re going to disagree on, but on the topic of the slush fund and answering to the president, I think we should agree on the facts. And what the facts are is that the creation of this fund, it’s not a slush fund, it’s an anti-weaponization fund, why do we have the fund? Why do we have the fund?

MORAN: Because Donald Trump wants —

SUNSHINE: Because Charles Littlejohn —

MORAN: — to reward the rioters who attacked our election.

SUNSHINE: Let’s go through some yes or no questions. IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn pled guilty to leaking President Trump’s tax returns. Yes or no? BOYKIN: Yes.

SUNSHINE: Yes.

BOYKIN: Before we go to —

SUNSHINE: He also pled guilty —

MORAN: And 400,000 other Americans, 400,000 other Americans.

SUNSHINE: So, we know then we also have 400,000 cases —

PHILLIP: But hold on. What does that have to do with the $1.8 billion fund that Trump explicitly said this week was to compensate January 6th rioters who he pardoned?

SUNSHINE: I think because there are a number of people who have felt the full weight of the weaponization of government.

PHILLIP: He said this week when he was asked about the fund, he said, I’m proud I pardoned these people, and they deserve money from the government.

SUNSHINE: Yes.

PHILLIP: That’s what he wants the fund to be about.

SUNSHINE: Because we had grandmas who were in jail for two years. We had people who did not commit violent crimes while we watched people —

PHILLIP: Well, there are many people who did commit violent crimes.

SUNSHINE: — in Minnesota, and (INAUDIBLE) put up signs saying, donate your —

PHILLIP: There are many people who did commit violent crimes, and the president himself has said that he wants them to be compensated.

BOYKIN: This is a joke.

SUNSHINE: I’m not just talking about —

BOYKIN: And I’m really embarrassed for you that you have to defend this, because even Republican senators on the Hill are saying that this is ridiculous. And Donald Trump isn’t doing any — doing himself any favors by pushing this.

SUNSHINE: Did the Justice Department have to apologize to Donald Trump, yes or no?

BOYKIN: You know what? I let you speak the whole time.

MORAN: No.

SUNSHINE: Yes or no?

BOYKIN: No. I let you speak. I didn’t interrupt you, okay? So, thank you. Donald Trump is even in trouble now because you’ve got Thom Tillis, you’ve got Cassidy, you’ve got Cornyn, all these people who are raising questions about Trump’s decision-making here.

And I think the big problem is this used to be something, this principle in the Justice Department called avoiding the appearance of impropriety. I don’t think they care about avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

Let me just — let me speak. Let me just speak. No, let me just speak. They don’t care. Every step they make is just — is creating more distrust among the American people about the ability of the justice system to operate fairly and impartially. And that’s not good — not just bad for democracy.

It’s not just bad for Democrats. It’s bad for the entire country. That’s not a good state for us to be in.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

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