Donald Trump has spent $40 million in PAC donations on legal fees over the past six months after being indicted twice
- Trump’s Save America PAC spent $40.2 million in campaign donations this year on legal fees, filing will reveal Monday
- PAC donations mostly come from small dollar pro-Trump contributions
- Ex-President faces federal charges in Florida, state charges in New York — with more lurking in Washington, DC and Fulton County, Georgia
Donald Trump has had to use more than $40 million of his 2024 campaign donation for legal fees as charges against the former president pile up.
Legal expenses exceeded all other expenses for Trump’s Save American political action committee, according to federal filings from July — and these fees exceed his campaign’s total revenues in the second quarter of 2023.
Save America PAC will disclose $40.2 million in legal expenses in Monday’s filing, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post — bringing Trump’s post-presidency legal trouble expenses to about $56 million.
The PAC raises most of its money from small contributions from Trump supporters. Many fundraising tactics for Save America include calls to help defend the ex-president and 2024 candidate against investigations and charges against him.
Trump faces federal indictment in Florida and state indictments in New York. More criminal charges are also looming in Washington, DC and Fulton County, Georgia in connection with his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Donald Trump’s Save America PAC spent $40.2 million in campaign donations this year on legal expenses. Pictured: Trump exits his Manhattan arraignment on April 4, 2023
The huge expense in legal fees comes as the charges and investigations against the former president continue to pile up – mainly from DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith (pictured)
The Justice Department’s first indictment against Trump last month related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office. He took materials with “secret” markings to Mar-a-Lago and stashed them haphazardly around the estate, according to footage from an FBI raid on the property last year.
Now, DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith sent a letter to Trump informing him that he is a target of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, meaning a new indictment is imminent.
Spending on legal woes continues to cloud the former president’s campaign, but he remains the frontrunner in the GOP primary against as many as 14 challengers.
There are no plans to stop spending on Trump’s legal fees, his advisers said. Claiming attorney fees for dozens of people close to the ex-president is necessary and will only rise as the investigation continues and trials are scheduled before Election Day.
Trump and his campaign team repeatedly accused the DOJ and FBI of a “witch hunt” by conducting politically motivated investigations against him.
“They know they don’t have a legitimate case,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said.
He added that Save America will pay legal fees for those who worked with the ex-president “to protect these innocent people from financial ruin and prevent their lives from being completely destroyed.”
Smith’s first indictment concerned classified documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago (pictured) — and in the latest development, the special counsel sent a letter to Trump informing him that he is a target of the investigation into the Capitol January 6, 2021 uprising
Trump, his longtime valet Waltine “Walt” Nauta and his property manager Carlos De Oliveira were all charged in the classified documents case.
The indictment unsealed Thursday shows Nauta told a Trump aide he is loyal to the former president — and authorities allege Trump called De Oliveira last August to say he would pay for his lawyer .
Prosecutors are concerned about who pays for attorneys and other legal fees for witnesses and others involved in the Trump cases
Trump advisers told The Washington Post that the PAC pays the legal bills for nearly all involved who turn to the former president and his team for help.