Good morning and welcome to way too early. I'm Ali Vitale on this Thursday, May 21st. Good to be back

with you. A lot of news to get to. We'll get right to it. The newly announced nearly $1.8 billion,

so-called anti-weaponization discretionary fund, is already seeing pushback from lawmakers,

even from members of the president's own party. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of

Pennsylvania told reporters yesterday, he's going to try to, quote, kill it.

Congressman, what do you make this $1.7 billion fund for? Bad news. We're going to try to kill it.

You're going to try to kill it? Wow. Okay. And how? Well, we're considering legislative options.

We're going to write a letter to the AG to start, but we're considering a legislative

option.

Okay.

We're trying to unpack exactly, you know, what the legal machinations are, but can't do that.

Right.

Can't do that.

The congressman sent acting attorney general Todd Blanche this letter yesterday demanding more

information on the fund.

It reads in part, a massive discretionary fund with no oversight or approval from Congress

represents a dangerous backsliding in the transparency of our institutions and our commitment

to the American taxpayer. A number of Republican lawmakers in the Senate have our institutions and our commitment to the American taxpayer.

A number of Republican lawmakers in the Senate have also spoken out against this move.

The fund would give the president the power to gift taxpayer dollars to allies that claim

they were victims of alleged weaponization in the Justice Department under President Biden.

A top issue lawmakers have with this idea is who exactly

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