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President Donald Trump is demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) pay him around $230 million as compensation for federal investigations into his actions over the past several years.
The demand stems from complaints Trump made before winning a second presidential term. Now back in office, those complaints create an incredible conflict of interest — one that Trump seems to be aware of but doesn’t believe should preclude him from being awarded the funds or being involved in the decision-making process regarding compensation.
One of Trump’s complaints relates to the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, including possible connections between his campaign team and the Kremlin. Trump has also filed a grievance relating to the investigation into his improper transfer of classified documents from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago estate after his 2020 presidential loss.
In both cases, there was ample evidence leading legal experts to conclude that crimes had been committed.
Indeed, in the Russia investigation, which Trump frequently belittled as a “hoax,” several people were convicted, including his former campaign manager Paul Manafort, who had coordinated with Russian officials to share information during the election. Trump later pardoned Manafort and a few other allies who were found guilty of crimes relating to that inquiry.
After special counsel Robert Mueller submitted his final report in that investigation, he said: “If we had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.”
The classified documents case, meanwhile, ended with controversy. Federal Judge Aileen Cannon — a Trump appointee who made several pre-trial moves in his favor — dismissed the case outright on the dubious claim that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly assigned to prosecute it, an action that was widely questioned by legal and political experts.
Sources familiar with Trump’s recent demands for the $230 million in taxpayer-funded compensation over these two cases initially explained to The New York Times that the final settlement amount would be determined by senior officials within the DOJ. But on Tuesday, Trump said that he himself would make the final determinations.
“It’s interesting, because I’m the one that makes the decision, right? That decision would have to go across my desk,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Even if Trump didn’t make the final decision, many officials with key roles at the DOJ have close ties to the president. Indeed, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was Trump’s personal defense lawyer during the classified documents case. And while Attorney General Pam Bondi didn’t represent Trump in the two complaints he has filed, she was one of his personal lawyers during one of his impeachment trials.
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