According to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to CNN, Save America, the political action committee of former President Donald Trump, has spent more than $40 million on legal expenses since the year began.
The PAC, which receives the majority of its funding from small donations from Trump’s supporters, is anticipated to report to the Federal Election Commission on Monday that it spent $40.2 million on legal fees in the first half of the year, which is more than twice as much as what the organisation spent on legal fees in the entire year of 2022.
According to Federal Election Commission data, Save America spent more than $16 million on legal fees in 2022. By the end of the day on Monday, the political action committee must submit its disclosure report for the first half of this year.
The PAC’s expenditure on legal fees was initially covered by The Washington Post.
Trump’s legal issues are becoming worse, thus according to Trump’s legal staff, the significant sum of money being spent on defending the former president and members of his closest circle is required.
“The leadership PAC contributed to their legal fees to ensure they have representation against unlawful harassment 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,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told CNN.
To deal with some of the large costs paid, Trump’s team is also setting up a legal defence fund, according to two individuals familiar with the preparations who spoke to CNN on Sunday. The New York Times broke the news of the new fund, which is anticipated to help some of Trump’s current and former advisers and workers who have been involved in different investigations against the former president pay their costs. The Patriot Legal Defence Fund Inc. will be its name, the sources said, and Michael Glassner, a Trump ally and adviser, would serve as its director.
In the case where it is alleged that Trump handled secret materials improperly after leaving the White House, special counsel Jack Smith on Thursday filed fresh accusations against Trump, his staffer Walt Nauta, and a third defendant, Carlos De Oliveira.
The accusations included claims that Trump and his staff attempted to remove Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage that the grand jury had requested. Nauta and De Oliveira are both being represented by lawyers who have been compensated by Trump’s business.
The former president is also potentially facing charges in the grand jury investigation launched by the special counsel on January 6 and in the Fulton County District Attorney’s office in Georgia regarding allegations of voter fraud following the 2020 election. The former president was also indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on more than 30 counts of business fraud in March. As his legal troubles worsen, Trump has grown his legal staff.
