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

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

The “staggering sum” 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 Times’ Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher write. Federal Election Commission filings this week are expected to detail the full extent of Trump’s “enormous financial strain,” 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.

      • admiralteal
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        345 months ago

        Close to $2B, as I recall, but they’re already sold to the Saudis.

        • @crazyCat
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          155 months ago

          Fun fact about secrets, they can be sold twice!

          • athos77
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            45 months ago

            Remember, the bathroom had a copier in it - they could be sold infinite times! [Not to mention cellphone cameras.]

          • AFK BRB Chocolate
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            15 months ago

            Except Bob was a really good lawyer, he’d never work for Trump. Trump would hire Barry Zuckerkorn, who was incompetent and unethical.

    • @[email protected]
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      25 months ago

      Aren’t there a ton of easements on it where any new owner would be required to maintain it as a historic property and commercial country club? I think that’s why the value in the trial was set low.

      Like Trump (or maybe a previous owner) essentially donated parts of it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and got tax breaks in exchange for agreeing to preserve everything. So, you’re essentially buying a country club business run in a future Trump Museum that you don’t really own (but still have to maintain).