Trump biographer raises questions about his wealth as campaign donors foot the bill for his many lawyers

Former President Donald Trumpā€™s PACs have spent about $50 million in donor money on his legal bills last year, sources told The New York Times.

The ā€œstaggering sumā€ spent by Trump on his legal fees and investigation-related expenses is about the same amount his lone remaining GOP primary opponent Nikki Haley raised across all her committees last year, the Timesā€™ Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher write. Federal Election Commission filings this week are expected to detail the full extent of Trumpā€™s ā€œenormous financial strain,ā€ they added.

Trump, who has a penchant for relying on campaign donations to pay his lawyers if he actually pays them at all, has used his Save America PAC to cover his legal costs. When the PAC ran low on cash last year, Trump asked for an unusual refund of $60 million that had been transferred to the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. PAC. Trump has also been directing 10% of donations raised through Save America to a PAC that primarily pays his lawyers, according to the Times.

  • paddirn@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9Ā·
    10 months ago

    Itā€™s basically his Get-out-of-Jail free card that he can use to try to wipe away all of his problems. His arguments for total presidential immunity are ludicrous when heā€™s not in office, but Iā€™m sure if he were to actually be in office again, they wouldnā€™t be laughed off as much. He has to go all in on this or heā€™s basically finished. Although I remember thinking this last election too and here we are again, so maybe if Trump loses weā€™ll still see him running for the 2028 Presidential election (how somebody that unhealthy is still living is beyond me, better men than him have died so much earlier). Not to mention all of Russiaā€™s hopes in turning around their war against Ukraine are riding on this election as well, if they can get Trump back in, they can kick the legs out from under Ukraine in one fell swoop, as with every presidential election, thereā€™s a lot riding on this.