DataRepublican (small r)@DataRepublican
Hello Senator Thune,
I'm replying to your post from yesterday: "Despite Democrats' partisan games, we're still going to get the entire federal government funded."
Today, you sent the Senate home... not because of Democrats. Because of you.
Here's what actually happened.
On May 18, the DOJ announced an Anti-Weaponization Fund: $1.776 billion to compensate Americans harmed by Biden-era DOJ abuse. Your own caucus revolted. After a two-hour closed-door meeting, you departed for Memorial Day recess without a vote. ICE and CBP funding, punted to June 1. The "partisan games," it turns out, were yours.
Your stated objections: no congressional authorization, no eligibility standards, no legal precedent, executive overreach. Fine. But let's talk about November 2025, when you tucked a provision into the government funding bill.
The FBI had quietly seized phone records from eight Republican senators without notice, under an investigation codenamed "Arctic Frost."
Your provision gave those senators, and only those senators, $500,000 per violation, retroactive to 2022. The House voted 426-0 to repeal it.
The critics weren't opposed to compensating victims of DOJ abuse. They were opposed to senators compensating themselves while doing no other structural reforms.
Lindsey Graham held the Senate hostage to preserve it. He delayed a spending deal in January 2026 to secure a floor vote on his revised version.
Let's put the two columns next to each other:
➤ DOJ abused senators: $500K/violation payout, senators only, no hearings, no process, no eligibility debate, no floor vote on substance.
➤ DOJ abused Americans: "very legitimate questions," two-hour meeting, Senate goes home, reconciliation punted, June 1 deadline in jeopardy.
You told Punchbowl News you "did not personally see a need for this fund."
You personally saw a need for the fund when the targets were you.
Go cry harder to your Punchbowl friends @JakeSherman and @AndrewDesiderio, because at this rate, they'll soon become the only people who are buying what you're selling.
