‘That’s easy’: Collins tells pardoned Jan. 6 defendant that government should pay wronged Americans 

“With Todd Blanche being confirmed as the new attorney general, and the victims of political weaponization fund being such a controversial issue that’s important to me – I lost everything, I’m a business owner now in Savannah, by the grace of God. I lost my home, my car, my entire life’s savings. To put it clearly, would you support either the victims of political weaponization compensation fund or some form of compensatory relief, not just to Jan. 6-ers like myself but all Americans, left, right and center, who have become victims of a weaponized political system?”

Collins responded in the affirmative:

“A lot of things have been politicized and weaponized. And when the federal government harms you, then yes, they have a liability to you. That’s easy, yes sir.” His campaign attempted to clarify Collins’ remarks Wednesday, saying Collins does not support “a blank-check fund or automatic taxpayer-funded payouts” to Jan. 6 defendants.

The weaponization fund was a nearly $1.8 billion proposal to compensate people the administration of President Donald Trump believed had been wronged by the Biden Justice Department.

It met bipartisan resistance in the U.S. Senate, where opponents referred to it as a “slush fund” designed to make payouts to Trump allies. Those against the measure also objected to the way it was created, via a settlement in a lawsuit between Trump and the IRS.

Senators agreed to approve Blanche’s nomination only after Blanche formally rescinded the plan last week. Speaking to reporters in Washington Wednesday, Blanche stressed that the fund was, in his words, “dead,” but added that he and the president would support passing a similar measure through Congress.

Candidate responses 

Ossoff’s campaign quickly pounced on Collins’ response.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is a Democrat, flipped the seat in early 2021 and is currently trying to win another full term in office. But as the only incumbent Democratic senator running for reelection in a state Trump won in 2024, he is seen as a top target for national Republicans.

“Yesterday, we heard Congressman Mike Collins unacceptably and disgustingly call for taxpayer-funded payouts to the violent thugs who ransacked the United States Capitol to try to overturn the 2020 election,” Ossoff said. “Congressman Collins needs to immediately come out and publicly retract his support for these taxpayer-funded payouts to violent insurrectionists.”

Collins’ campaign rejected Ossoff’s framing that his answer signified a commitment to pay off violent protesters.

“Mike Collins fully supports holding the government accountable when federal agencies abuse their power and believes Americans who’ve been wronged by their government ought to have a path to seek justice,” said spokesperson Meyer Siegfried in a statement.

“He does not support a blank-check fund or automatic taxpayer-funded payouts to anyone simply because they were prosecuted for January 6,” Siegfried added.

‘Productively provocative’

Box was convicted on two felony counts of civil disorder and four misdemeanors. According to court documents, he entered the Capitol multiple times on Jan. 6, 2021, shouted expletives at police officers and was part of a group that pushed through officers at the entryway to the Capitol Crypt, a large room at the Capitol featuring historic exhibits.

His actions were part of an attack on the U.S. Capitol in which rioters attempted to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election, which Trump, then in his first term, falsely claimed to have won. The attackers forced their way into the Capitol, causing lawmakers to evacuate or shelter in place and resulting in millions of dollars in damage, according to the Justice Department. Congress ultimately certified the election after a delay. One person died on Jan. 6, with other deaths following in the days after.

Box said he spent 18 months in prison before being pardoned by Trump, who issued a sweeping pardon of Jan. 6 defendants on his first day back in office in 2025.

After the Collins’ event in Savannah, Box wrote to multiple Georgia and national news outlets from across the political spectrum, offering video of his exchange with the GOP candidate.

In a phone call on Wednesday, Box said his goal is to be “productively provocative” in order to raise awareness about Jan. 6 defendants.

Box said he thinks Collins would be a better senator than Ossoff, but he also said his goal is to shift attention to Jan. 6 exonerees, many of whom he said are dealing with homelessness and other problems.

“My goal is not to hurt Mike Collins,” he said. “I am supporting Mike Collins in the race for Senate over Jon Ossoff. But at the end of the day, I don’t care if Mike Collins is elected to anything. I care about whether my brothers and sisters are compensated for the harm that we have endured.”

“I took it upon myself to get this to the national media,” he added. “Whether it helps Mike Collins, whether it helps Jon Ossoff, what it’s going to do is force the conversation back into the national conversation, and it’s happening right now.”