The firm of Evan Corcoran, a lawyer in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, has collected $3.4 million. Attorney Alina Habba, a Trump legal spokeswoman who worked on the civil sexual assault brought by writer E Jean Carroll, has collected $3.5 million for her firm since 2022, records show. Most of top recipients have represented Trump and his allies in a sprawling series of investigations. But legal experts say Trump’s staggering legal spending is unprecedented. Filings show Save America received $12.2 million in refunds from the group in May and June.Ī spokesman for the super PAC did not respond to a request for comment.Ĭampaigns routinely pay attorneys to manage their electoral and campaign finance matters. One of the primary committees used to pay Trump’s legal bills, Save America, has also requested that his super PAC, MAGA Inc., return some of the money that it transferred to seed the group to help cover costs. His team has expressed interest in the payment of legal fees for Trump-aligned witnesses in the investigations and has sought information about it, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss ongoing criminal probes. Smith is the special counsel leading the federal investigations of Trump. “In order to combat these heinous actions by Joe Biden’s cronies and to protect these innocent people from financial ruin and prevent their lives from being completely destroyed, a new legal defense fund will help pay for their legal fees.” The fund was first reported by The New York Times. “The weaponized Department of Justice and the deranged Jack Smith have targeted innocent Americans associated with President Trump,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung. The group will be run by Trump campaign senior advisers Susie Wiles and Michael Glassner. The Patriot Legal Defense Fund, as it is called, is intended to defray costs for those “defending against legal actions arising from an individual or group’s participation in the political process,” according to a filing made last month with the IRS. To help offset his growing legal bills, Trump’s allies are launching a new fundraising effort. Most of the other cash was raised from several dozen corporations and donors, who gave over $100,000, including Robert Bigelow, a Las Vegas-based businessman, who gave Never Back Down $20 million, records show.ĭeSantis has pledged to reset and trim expenses, laying off more than a third of his staff. The group was financed with $80 million left over from DeSantis’ successful 2022 gubernatorial reelection campaign. But it also spent roughly one-quarter of that money, much of it going to cover operations, like voter turnout, that are often paid for by a candidate’s campaign, filings show. Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting him that can raise and spend unlimited amounts, reported raising $130 million in a filings submitted before Monday’s midnight deadline. But according to a person familiar with the situation who insisted on anonymity to discuss the matter, the number is considerably higher: $40 million this year alone. New campaign finance disclosures made public ahead of Monday night’s filing deadline showed Trump’s network of political committees spent roughly $25 million on legal fees. And that was after receiving a lifeline from a pro-Trump super PAC that agreed to refund millions of dollars in contributions that Trump’s operation had previously donated to it. Yet the Republican presidential front-runner burned through at least $42.8 million this year, much of it used to cover costs related to the mounting legal peril faced by Trump, his aides and other allies, leaving him with $31.8 million cash on hand. Trump took in over $53 million since the start of 2023, records show, a period in which his two criminal indictments in Florida and New York were turned into a rallying cry that sent his fundraising soaring. WASHINGTON (AP) - Donald Trump’s political operation entered the second half of the year in a strained financial position with its bank account drained by tens of millions of dollars that were directed toward defending the former president from mounting legal challenges as he seeks the White House again.
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