Donald Trump spent $10MILLION of donor money on his own legal bills
Donald Trump spent $10 million in donor money to pay his legal bills last year but turned down Rudy Giuliani because he failed to undo President Biden’s 2024 victory, federal election documents show.
Trump funneled money from his Save America PAC into the pockets of his lawyers, who are still working to fight multiple cases.
The 76-year-old has teams of lawyers working to defend him against allegations of tax fraud at the Trump Organization; an investigation into his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago; claims to interfere in elections in Georgia; and incite the insurrection of January 6.
A prominent name not listed in The New York Times‘s list is Giuliani, who defended Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Trump told aides he did not want to pay Giuliani unless he could get the election nullified.
Donald Trump, seen on January 28, has used $10 million in donor funds to pay his legal bills, it was reported Tuesday.
Chris Kise, a former Florida attorney general, was awarded $3 million to represent Trump in cases involving Mar-a-Lago documents and Trump Organization tax fraud allegations.
Whether Trump can continue to use his PAC funds to pay his personal legal bills now that he is an outspoken presidential candidate is a gray area, experts told the newspaper.
“PAC payments that exceed the contribution limit are contributions to the candidate and are illegal,” said Jason Torchinsky, a campaign finance expert and attorney with the firm Holtzman Vogel.
The current limit on individual donations to candidates is set at $3,300 for the current two-year political cycle.
The largest paycheck, for $3 million, went to the Florida-based law firm of Critton, Luttier and Coleman.
The firm is affiliated with Christopher M. Kise, a former Florida attorney general.
Kise was hired by Trump to work on the Mar-a-Lago documents case, but is now also working on the tax fraud case at the Trump Organization, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Another firm working on the Mar-a-Lago documents, Silverman Thompson Slutkin and White, received $1.3 million.
The firm is where Evan Corcoran, another of Trump’s high-profile lawyers, works.
Corcoran testified before a grand jury last month about the classified documents, and federal prosecutors want him back to answer more questions. They have asked a judge to waive their right to refuse to answer questions on the basis of attorney-client privilege.
Evan Corcoran, whose firm Silverman Thompson Slutkin and White received $1.3 million to work on the Mar-a-Lago documents
Jim Trusty, a former assistant state’s attorney in Montgomery County, Maryland, was hired by Trump after the former president saw him on television.
Michael van der Veen, pictured, represented Trump at his second impeachment trial, in February 2021
Alina Habba, acting on behalf of Trump in the case of E. Jean Carroll, who accuses him of raping her in the changing room of a New York department store in the 1990s. Her company has received $2 million
The PAC spent approximately $1.2 million in fees paid to Ifrah Law, Jim Trusty’s firm.
Trump saw Trusty on television and decided to hire him, the newspaper reported.
Habba represents Trump in multiple cases
Another $1.3 million went to the law firm of Michael van der Veen.
He represented Trump during his second impeachment trial and in a New York tax fraud case against the Trump Organization, losing on all 17 counts.
And about $2 million was paid to the firm of Alina Habba, who is acting for Trump in the case of E. Jean Carroll, who accuses him of raping her in the locker room of a New York department store in the 1990s.
Habba also represents the former president in his case against The New York Times for reporting on his tax returns; a libel case in Pennsylvania; and in a case against Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and ‘fixer’ who has now turned against him.
Most of Trump’s PAC money was raised before his November announcement that he would run for re-election in 2024.
At the end of last year, the PAC had just over $18 million in cash on hand, its federal documents show.
This comes as Trump and his businesses are battling multiple legal issues and scandals.
Yesterday, the lead investigator for the House January 6 committee said the riots, which some say Trump incited, were part of a “multipart plan to prevent the transfer of power” after the 2020 election. .
Timothy Heaphy, a former federal prosecutor, said he believes the Justice Department should also indict several allies of former President Donald Trump, including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
Meadows never testified before the committee, while Giuliani revealed very little, La Quinta alleging throughout his testimony.
The House select committee spent months investigating the involvement of Trump and his allies in inciting the riots and asked several members of his inner circle to testify.
Although some chose to remain silent when called before the panel, Heaphy said the DOJ will ultimately make a decision on who to charge depending on what additional evidence they can obtain beyond what was presented to the House committee.
And last summer, Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 400 times during his testimony before the New York Attorney General’s office.
The former president refused to answer questions during the four hours of questioning on August 10.
Trump had to go to New York City over the summer to appear for deposition in James’ civil fraud investigation against the former president.
Appearing on August 10, Trump politely answered James’s initial questions before going on to the series of several hundred denials to Wallace’s questions.
Trump answered “yes” when asked by James if he was familiar with the rules for a deposition.