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Trump Spent $50 Million in Donor Money on Legal Bills Last Year: Report (www.rollingstone.com)

submitted 10 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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The former president’s PAC are operating as slush funds to help him fight off a mountain of civil and criminal cases

Donald Trump’s PACs spent a staggering $50 million on the former president’s legal defense in 2023, according to a report from The New York Times.

According to two sources who spoke to the Times, the former president’s massive legal bills were paid out through funds from the Save America PAC and the Make America Great Again PAC, his two primary political action committees. The full details of the PAC spending will be made available Wednesday, the deadline for Federal Election Commission year-end campaign filings.

Given the multiple civil and criminal cases leveled against Trump in the last year, the mountain of legal bills is not necessarily a surprise. In August of last year, Save America revealed that it had burned through the majority of its cash-on-hand on Trump and his associates’ legal defenses. The Times reported at the time that Save America had requested a $60 million refund from another Trump-affiliated group to keep itself afloat.

According to the Times, 10 cents of every dollar donated to Trump’s campaign is being directed towards Save America, which in the last year has operated virtually exclusively as a legal slush fund for the former president.

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[-] fine_sandy_bottom@aussie.zone 44 points 10 months ago

The influx and outflow converting donations to legal bills would normally be enough of a concern to send major donors and grassroots contributors running for the hills, but it’s having virtually no effect on Trump’s momentum toward securing the Republican 2024 nomination.

This. His supporters just don't care. Whatever it takes to beat the dems.

[-] Toto@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Such an important note. Click bait articles stating trump did something bad, the left opens it up with indignation and wonder if THIS will be the moment THEY realize trump is a horrible person.

They. Don’t. Care.

The quicker the left understands that the better equipped they can be to beat out misinformation, target dollars and organize correctly to make a movement that matters.

[-] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

I'm not sure the left doesn't already see that. It's the media and politicians pretending that the far right is worth listening to.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 39 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Using campaign donations for personal expenses like this is of course super illegal.

If just about anyone else had done it to this degree, their campaign would be over and they'd be facing a seperate trial for it or at the very least the maximum fines available to the FEC.

[-] dhork@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago

Silly Rabbit, laws are for Liberals!

[-] ares35@kbin.social 9 points 10 months ago

PACs have fewer restrictions than campaigns when it comes both getting and spending money.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

That may be, but SURELY it's not THIS lax for everyone?

[-] eRac 4 points 10 months ago

10% of actual campaign donations have been passed to the PAC being used almost exclusively for legal bills. This is campaign money.

[-] crusa187@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 months ago

I’d imagine Cori Bush has a thing or two to say about this rn

[-] NABDad@lemmy.world 13 points 10 months ago

That picture is what you see if you look between Putin's legs.

[-] eran_morad@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Voluntary fucktard tax.

[-] Alexc 10 points 10 months ago

Yes, he may be a heinous criminal, and a traitor to his country, but why is he doing “duck face” in pretty much every picture he’s not speaking in? In those, he looks like a Howler Monkey.

[-] Plum@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

My best guess is its for the same reason as the howler monkey. That's his War Face. It's an active display against all other beta male challengers to show Trumps dominance.

Or his face got stuck like that.

[-] Ersatz86@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

What do we call this one?

This beaut was featured in a HuffPost story recently. Not only is it stupendously, embarrassingly clownish, but an entire team of people selected this image above all others to feature in their article.

[-] Alexc 2 points 10 months ago

That’s a Howler Monkey! Possibly getting a blow job from Rudy Giuliani

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Because he has the mentality of a 14 year old girl on Instagram.

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

And this sum will only get bigger. Good. For one, it clearly shows what a fraud he really is. And as a bonimus, every cent of his campaign he has to waste on legal troubles is a cent less to spend on campaigning.

[-] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Good other than it implies people are still giving him money. I wish someone else would con them out of it for better reasons, like buying a sports car or hiring an actor for a day to tell them, "that's a great idea!" after anything they say.

Paying lawyers willing to defend Trump in court is a horrible use for money.

[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

A more punchable face has never existed.

[-] Stretch2m@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

God I'm so sick of this orange douchebag and his idiotic expressions littering up my feed.

[-] autotldr 1 points 10 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The full details of the PAC spending will be made available Wednesday, the deadline for Federal Election Commission year-end campaign filings.

In the days after Trump’s New York indictment on charges related to his 2016 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, the former president raised more than $7 million on the news.

In December, he began offering scraps of the suit and tie he wore in the now infamous photo to convince fans to buy into his NFT trading card cash grab.

The influx and outflow converting donations to legal bills would normally be enough of a concern to send major donors and grassroots contributors running for the hills, but it’s having virtually no effect on Trump’s momentum toward securing the Republican 2024 nomination.

The former president secured decisive victories in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, and has all but crowned for his November rematch with Joe Biden.

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this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024

278 points (98.3% liked)

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