Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rebuffed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) threat to tax the nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” with a simple response during a Thursday afternoon press briefing.
“There is no cure for stupid,” Bessent told reporters when asked to respond to Newsom’s threat.
The California governor and possible 2028 presidential candidate announced on Wednesday that anyone from California who accepts the funds will be taxed 100%.
“If you get a payout from Trump’s January 6 slush fund, California will tax it at 100%,” he wrote on X. “People who assault cops and overthrow democracy don’t deserve a taxpayer-funded payday.”
Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” that could help compensate Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendants as part of a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his confidential tax records.
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The announcement has spurred bipartisan concern, with Democrats branding it a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies and lawmakers expressing concern that payouts could go to individuals who assaulted police officers during the riot. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) introduced legislation last week to kill the fund.
Bessent is filling in for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave for her second child. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have previously filled in for Leavitt until she returns to work.