Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The POTUS allegedly wants the money as compensation for being investegated in the past.
The New York Times first broke the news, and now sources have confirmed to ABC News that the reports are true:
Donald Trump’s lawyers filed two administrative claims in 2023 and 2024 seeking compensation for investigations he faced during his first term and after leaving office, seeking roughly $230 million in damages.
According to The New York Times, the proposed settlement would require approval from senior Justice Department officials, some of whom previously represented Trump or his associates.
The claims
The first claim sought damages over the probe into alleged connections between his 2016 campaign and Russia.
The second claim centered on the 2022 FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and the special counsel investigation led by Jack Smith.
Trump’s legal team alleged that the search violated his privacy and that he was unfairly targeted by prosecutors.
Federal policy requires that any settlement be approved by either the deputy attorney general or the associate attorney general. Both Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward previously defended Trump and his aide Walt Nauta in the classified documents case.
Trump pleaded not guilty in both the classified documents and January 6 cases before both were dismissed after his reelection. The dismissals followed the Justice Department’s policy that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted.
“I’m the one that makes the decision, right?”
Asked about the matter on Tuesday, Trump downplayed the personal stakes but acknowledged the strangeness of the situation. “All I know is that they would owe me a lot of money, but I’m not looking for money,” he said. “I’d give it to charity or something.”
He added, “It’s interesting, because I’m the one that makes the decision, right? And you know that decision would have to go across my desk, and it’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself.”
A Justice Department spokesperson told ABC News that “in any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials,” declining further comment on the negotiations.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
