Donald Trump uses campaign donations to pay his legal bills

The new agreement joint collection Donald Trump’s funding with the Republican National Committee (RNC) directs donations to his campaign and a political action committee (PAC) that pays the former president’s legal fees before the RNC receives a share, according to an invitation to a fundraising event obtained by The Associated Press.

The unorthodox diversion of funds to Save America PAC (a political action committee founded and controlled by Donald Trump) makes Republican donors more likely to take notice. your money goes to Trump’s lawyersthat they received at least 76 million dollars in the last two years to defend him from four criminal charges and multiple civil suits. Some Republicans already worry that Trump’s takeover of the RNC will hurt the cash-strapped party.

trump invited wealthy donors to Palm Beach, Florida, for a fundraising event to be held on April 6, when the fundraiser will be held it is well below that of President Joe Biden and national Democrats. The fine print on the invitation says that donations to Trump’s 47th Committee will first be used to donate the maximum amount allowed by federal law to Trump’s campaign. Whatever is left over from the donation will go to the maximum contribution to Save America, and then whatever is left will go to the RNC and then to the state political parties.

Adav Noti, executive director of the nonpartisan Washington Campaign Legal Center, said this represents a break with fundraising rules. Typically, Noti said, candidates prioritize raising money that can be spent directly into campaign activities. Save America, however, is structured as an “official PAC” and therefore cannot spend directly on Trump campaign activities.

Legal fees accounted for 85% of Save America’s total operating expenses in the first two months of this year, about the same as in 2023, when such expenses accounted for about 89%. The PAC has spent $8.5 million on legal fees so far this year.

“The reason most candidates don’t do this is because the most difficult money to raise is money that can be spent directly on the campaign trail,” said Noti, a former Federal Election Commission (FEC) lawyer. “No other candidate has used a staff PAC the way the Trump campaign did.”

800 thousand dollars per person

The Trump campaign explained that Save America incur expenses other than legal fees and the April fundraiser donors who contribute with $814,600 per person or the suggested $250,000 per person will see just $5,000 of your donation go to Save America, while hundreds of thousands of dollars will be sent to the Republican National Committee.

“Save America also covers it a very active and robust post-presidential office and various other expenses not related to combating the illegal witch hunts perpetrated by the corrupt Joe Biden. The Trump campaign, the RNC and state Republican parties ultimately receive the vast majority of funds raised through the Trump 47 Committee. Of the maximum individual donor contribution of $824,600, less than 1% (0.006%) goes to Save America,” he said Steven Cheung. , communications director for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.

A separate contribution form for the Trump 47 Committee allows donors to make minor contributions or any amountbut the fine print specifies that the donation will go first to the Trump campaign and Save America.

The Republican National Committee leadership team selected by Trump includes his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who is the co-chair of the committee, and Chris LaCivita, who effectively serves as one of two Trump campaign managers and will now also take on the role of chief of staff at the RNC.

Lara Trump said in February that she thought Republican voters would want the RNC to pay Trump’s legal bills.

But shortly before the RNC leadership change was voted on, LaCivita told the AP in an interview that “not one cent of RNC money or, for that matter, campaign money has gone or will go to legal fees.”

Before Trump was a candidate, the RNC paid some of his legal fees for ongoing cases in New York that began when he was president, the Washington Post reported. Former Chair Ronna McDaniel, ousted this month, said in 2022 the RNC would stop paying once Trump ran.

The new agreement does not direct RNC funds to lawyers, but guarantees that when checks are issued to the new combined Republican campaign, they will be paid first to the Trump campaign and Save America.

According to the fine print, Any donor who wishes can request that their contribution be distributed in another way. Donors could also bypass the fundraising agreement and donate directly to the RNC or any other entity.

Biden’s campaign raises more

Trump’s political apparatus has difficulty reaching Biden in fundraising and organization. His main campaign account and Save America PAC reported raising a combined total of $15.9 million in February and ended the month with more than $37 million on hand, according to documents filed Wednesday night with the Federal Election Commission.

The two committees are a key part of Trump’s fundraising apparatus, but only a fragment of the bigger picture. The rest of his fundraising apparatus will report updated numbers in April, along with the new Trump 47 Committee formed with the Republican National Committee.

“Briscola I urgently need money to pay my legal fees and he is depleting his PAC and spending large sums of money from his campaign committee,” said Brett Kappel, an experienced campaign finance lawyer who has represented both Republicans and Democrats.

In the meantime, Biden’s campaign team said his political apparatus had raised $53 million last month and it closed February with 155 million of dollars available. This includes Biden’s joint fundraising with the Democratic National Committee. The full picture will only be available in April, when some committees of his political apparatus present a report.

His main campaign account raised $21 million in February, according to his latest FEC filing, and he ended the month with $71 million on hand.

As the party’s presumptive nominee, Trump effectively controls the Republican National Committee, and his political apparatus can now take advantage of the much higher contribution limits that apply to party committees. While candidates can accept a maximum donation of $3,300, under the joint fundraising agreement, a single donor could write a check for just over $800,000, while a married couple could contribute $1.6 million.

The April 6 fundraiser to benefit the Trump 47 Committee will feature billionaire investor John Paulson, and co-chairs will include Robert Bigelow, a Las Vegas businessman who supported the presidential campaign, the governor of Florida Ron DeSantis; New York grocery billionaire John Catsimatidis; Linda McMahon, former World Wrestling Entertainment executive and head of the Small Business Administration while Trump was president; casino magnate Steve Wynn; and former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler.

Guests are asked to contribute $814,600 per person as “chair” contributors, which includes sitting at Trump’s table, or $250,000 per person as “host committee” contributors. Both options include the ability to take photos and receive a personalized copy of Trump’s book featuring photographs from his administration, “Our Journey Together.”

Three of Trump’s former rivals in the race for the Republican nomination – South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – will be in attendance as “special guests.”