'This Is A Travesty': Jack Reed Absolutely Hammers Todd Blanche Over $1.8B Fund

[0:00] Mr. Chairman, Mr. Blanche, how many taxpayers' returns were leaked by the IRS contractor in the 2020 breach? [0:08] How many taxpayers' returns were leaked by the IRS contractor in the 2020 breach? [0:16] I don't know the exact amount, but a lot. [0:19] 405,427. One of them was Donald Trump, correct? [0:26] One of them was Donald Trump, correct? [0:28] One of them was Donald Trump and his family or others, correct? [0:30] Correct. Right. And Donald Trump was president at the time? [0:34] Correct. [0:35] So it was his IRS department that allowed this breach of privacy, correct? [0:41] It was a criminal who worked in the IRS, yes. [0:45] Well, he was hired under Trump's... This is one of the Trump... [0:49] Well, there was a criminal breach that led to this, yes. [0:52] Very good. How many of these 400,000 people have received monetary reimbursement for the breach? [0:59] I don't think any have, including the president. [1:01] No, they haven't. But you've authorized the president. [1:05] Do you agree the president should have a reimbursement, correct? [1:10] No, he settled the case. No, there's no reimbursement to President Trump. [1:15] Well, that's interesting. [1:17] So President Trump, you're going to assure us President Trump and his family will get no proceeds from this? [1:23] Correct. He will not. [1:24] He will not get. His family will not get. [1:27] Correct. [1:27] And who will direct the disposition of these? Who gets the money? [1:33] From the Victims Fund? [1:35] Well, there'll be a commission of five individuals that will be set up, and they will take in requests and claims and decide whether to do anything from issuing a policy. [1:44] Who will name the commissioners? [1:45] I will. The attorney general, whoever the attorney general is. [1:48] The attorney general. Okay. [1:50] Sorry, just to correct. And one of them will be done in consultation with leadership of this body. [1:56] Consultation. Well, that's good. [1:57] But when he first announced this suit on January 30th, he said, I think what we'll do is something for charity, where I'll give the money to charity. [2:09] I'm talking about the American Cancer Society. [2:12] I would say established and respected charities. [2:15] Will you fulfill the president's wish that it goes to respected charities? [2:19] I'm aware that he put that in or said that, but that's not ultimately what the settlement calls for. [2:25] Well, the settlement was negotiated between his lawyers and the Department of Justice, correct? [2:31] Correct. [2:31] So his lawyers did not urge that they adopt the president's vision of giving it to a respectable charity? [2:39] I am confident his lawyers urged the president's desires. Obviously, there's not a charity. [2:44] The order that you signed yesterday states that the government pay the settlement if the Secretary of Treasury has certified the payment. Is that correct? [2:58] Correct. [2:59] Is it a coincidence that the general counsel of the Department of Treasury resigned yesterday? [3:04] I don't know if it's a coincidence. [3:07] Have you looked or checked? [3:09] Have I checked? [3:10] Yeah. [3:10] I have not. As to why he resigned? [3:13] It just seems to be very coincidental that a high-ranking member of the Department of Treasury, Senate confirmed, would resign the day that the Treasury Department was required, essentially, to certify these payments. [3:27] Well, I believe the IRS signed the settlement agreement as well. But yes. I can't speak to why he resigned, Senator. [3:35] Well, this all seems to be an obvious abuse of power by the Department of Justice, by the president. He negotiated, essentially, with himself. You're his appointee. The IRS are his appointees. He's the plaintiff. [3:58] And the American people, I don't think, are surprised that suddenly all this money is going to his friends or people in his orbit. Will you ensure that none of this money goes to anyone convicted on the January 6th attack on the Congress? [4:15] Well, the commissioners will determine who is eligible to receive the money. [4:19] And who are the commissioners? [4:22] They're not named yet. [4:23] Who will name them? [4:24] I will. Or the attorney general will. It's not me. [4:27] So, with the suggestion of the president of the United States. [4:30] Excuse me? [4:31] With the suggestion of the president of the United States, your boss. [4:34] I do not make suggestions. I will. [4:36] No, no. He won't make suggestions to you. [4:39] I have no idea if he will or not. I really don't. I have no idea if he will or not. [4:45] I would be shocked if he didn't tell you exactly who to put on, and I'd be more shocked if you did not put them on. [4:53] This is a travesty of the law in the United States and the Constitution.