Over the last year alone, Donald Trump has amassed a mountain of legal woes, along with it a mountain of legal debt. That revolving door cast of increasingly bumbling lawyers ain’t going to pay for themselves (unless he simply doesn’t pay them). But he’s going to be fine, right? He’s a self-purported rich guy, and a self-purported great businessman. He just had to dip a little into his donor money to pay his legal bills last year. Or maybe not just a little.
Per a New York Times report, last year the former president spent “approximately” $50 million of money given to his various PACs — money given by sometimes cash-strapped supporters — to pay for legal bills and other trial-related expenses, such as lawyers for witnesses.
Here’s some of the breakdown:
Mr. Trump has paid legal expenses through both Save America and a second account, called the Make America Great Again PAC, which is an outgrowth of his 2020 re-election committee. In the first half of 2023, Save America transferred $5.85 million to the Make America Great Again PAC, which spent almost all of that sum on legal and investigation-related costs. The roughly $50 million figure is a combination of such costs through both groups.
A fuller story will be more available on Wednesday, when filings made to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) will be made public, so it could be more, could be less (but could be more).
Does the prospective frontrunner for the GOP’s 2024 nomination actually have any money? Or is his entire existence a paper tiger, comprised of money constantly coming and going from his various accounts and businesses? Is it really wise for the Republican Party, its politicians and its voters, to keep sticking by a magnets understanding wannabe dictator whose big mouth just cost him another $83.3 million? Or will this charade continue in perpetuity?
(Via NYT)