NYT: “Without hesitation, Mr. Whatley lined up behind the […] $1.8 billion fund.”

As North Carolina families faced skyrocketing prices this Memorial Day Weekend, DC insider Michael Whatley was in the spotlight for backing a slush fund that would give nearly $2 billion in taxpayer dollars to sex predators and rioters who attacked police officers. 

The fund has bipartisan opposition, including from GOP Senator Thom Tillis who called the fund “the most insulting thing you could possibly do to Capitol Police.”

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WRAL: Where NC politicians stand on Trump’s $1.78B ‘slush fund’ for January 6 defendants 

Will Doran | May 22, 2026

• Whatley said at the Brunswick County Republican Party headquarters this week that he supported the fund, calling the Jan. 6 prosecutions a case of “ridiculous persecution” according to Punchbowl News. He again voiced his support for the payments Friday on Fox News…

• Whatley’s campaign didn’t respond to a request from WRAL to further explain his views.

NC Newsline: Whatley backs Trump’s $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization fund’ despite GOP revolt on Capitol Hill

Brandon Kingdollar | May 22, 2026

• Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has been one of the most outspoken Republican critics of President Donald Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate Trump supporters who were prosecuted by former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice.

• But the Republican nominee to succeed him, Michael Whatley, said he emphatically supports Trump’s proposal.

• A spokesman for Whatley did not respond to a request for comment on the candidate’s statements.

NYT: Trump’s Self-Indulgence Deepens G.O.P. Fears in Midterms

Shane Goldmacher, Patricia Mazzei | May 25, 2026

• Without hesitation, Mr. Whatley lined up behind the president and his $1.8 billion fund.

WRAL:

• Will Doran: “You know, we heard from Thom Tills earlier and we also heard from the Republican who’s seeking to replace him in DC, Michael Whatley. He said that he completely disagrees with Tillis on this. He is very much in favor of this…”

CNN: 

• Ron Brownstein: “The Ball Room, now this slush fund for including people who attacked police officers on January 6.[…] But I will note that Michael Whatley, who is the Republican candidate in North Carolina – as opposed to the Senator, already from North Carolina – you know, came out in defense of this.”

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