WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump stated Tuesday that the federal authorities owes him “a lot of money” for prior Justice Division investigations into his actions and insisted he would have the last word say on any payout as a result of any determination will “have to go across my desk.”
Trump’s feedback to reporters on the White Home got here in response to questions on a New York Occasions story that stated he had filed administrative claims earlier than being reelected searching for roughly $230 million in damages associated to the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago property for categorised paperwork and for a separate investigation into potential ties between Russia and his 2016 presidential marketing campaign.
Trump stated Tuesday he didn’t know the greenback figures concerned and urged he had not spoken to officers about it. However, he added, “All I know is that, they would owe me a lot of money.”
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Although the Justice Division has a protocol for reviewing such claims, Trump asserted, “It’s interesting, ’cause I’m the one that makes the decision, right?”
“That decision would have to go across my desk,” he added.
He stated he might donate any taxpayer cash or use it to assist pay for a ballroom he’s constructing on the White Home.
The standing of the claims and any negotiations over them throughout the Justice Division was not instantly clear. One among Trump’s lead protection attorneys within the Mar-a-Lago investigation, Todd Blanche, is now the deputy legal professional common on the Justice Division. The present affiliate legal professional common, Stanley Woodward, represented Trump’s valet and co-defendant, Walt Nauta, in the identical case.
“In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials,” a Justice Division spokesperson stated. A White Home spokesperson referred remark to the Justice Division.
Trump signaled his curiosity in compensation throughout a White Home look final week with Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi, who was a part of Trump’s authorized crew throughout one of many impeachment instances in opposition to him.
“I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president, I said: ‘I’m suing myself. I don’t know. How do you settle the lawsuit?’” he stated. ”I’ll say, ‘Give me X dollars,’ and I don’t know what to do with the lawsuit. It’s a terrific lawsuit and now I gained, it appears to be like unhealthy. I’m suing myself, so I don’t know.”
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The Occasions stated the 2 claims have been filed with the Justice Division as a part of a course of that seeks to resolve federal complaints by settlements and avert litigation.
One of many administrative claims, filed in August 2024 and reviewed by The Related Press, seeks compensatory and punitive damages over the search of his Mar-a-Lago property and the ensuing case alleging he hoarded categorised paperwork and thwarted authorities efforts to retrieve them.
His lawyer who filed the declare alleged the case was a “malicious prosecution” carried out by the Biden administration to harm Trump’s bid to reclaim the White Home, forcing Trump to spend tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in his protection.
That investigation produced felony prices that Justice Division particular counsel Jack Smith deserted final November due to division coverage in opposition to the indictment of a sitting president.
The Occasions stated the opposite declare seeks damages associated to the long-concluded Trump-Russia investigation, which continues to infuriate the president.
