this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024
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Trump biographer raises questions about his wealth as campaign donors foot the bill for his many lawyers

Former President Donald Trump’s PACs have spent about $50 million in donor money on his legal bills last year, sources told The New York Times.

The “staggering sum” spent by Trump on his legal fees and investigation-related expenses is about the same amount his lone remaining GOP primary opponent Nikki Haley raised across all her committees last year, the Times’ Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher write. Federal Election Commission filings this week are expected to detail the full extent of Trump’s “enormous financial strain,” they added.

Trump, who has a penchant for relying on campaign donations to pay his lawyers if he actually pays them at all, has used his Save America PAC to cover his legal costs. When the PAC ran low on cash last year, Trump asked for an unusual refund of $60 million that had been transferred to the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. PAC. Trump has also been directing 10% of donations raised through Save America to a PAC that primarily pays his lawyers, according to the Times.

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[–] knobbysideup@sh.itjust.works 81 points 9 months ago (10 children)

How is it legal to use campaign funds for personal legal costs?

[–] superduperenigma@lemmy.world 94 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Because laws that are not enforced are nothing more than friendly suggestions.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 58 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Over ten years ago Colbert showed how PAC money could be legally transformed into a personal slush fund. It was a hilarious segment that he did over an entire season to show how the Citizens United law allows anonymous money to go right into politicians' pockets. He won a Peabody award for it.

[–] Aviandelight@mander.xyz 25 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Citizens United will be the death of this country.

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[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Stephen Colbert: 'I am a Super PAC and So Can You'

YT / Piped

Making a better tomorrow… tomorrow.

Wish I could find the original announcement. Here’s a follow up from his show (YT / Piped). I’d forgotten about Ham Rove!

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[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 33 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

The Emoluments Clause has entered the chat

Emoluments Clause: "I'm interested in that answer too"

[–] Feirdro@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

I think you mean the Emoluments No-Claws

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[–] tacosanonymous@lemm.ee 17 points 9 months ago

It’s legal if you accurately specify where the funds will be going. Iirc, his website states that funds will go to legal challenges or whatever.

[–] mozz@mbin.grits.dev 15 points 9 months ago
[–] nickhammes@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

This is Donald J. Trump. Since when has something being illegal ever stopped him?

[–] tonytins@pawb.social 7 points 9 months ago

Republicans always turn a blind eye to their own.

[–] Magrath@lemmy.ca 6 points 9 months ago

They aren't campaign funds. They are funds donated to a Political Action Committee (PAC).

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The funds are coming from a PAC. I'm hearing the rules are different from normal campaign contributions.

[–] The_v@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

A PAC is a fancy name for Bribe Collection Fund.

It's not illegal if you run it through the correct laundering methods.

It's what happens when the rules are being made by the recipients of the bribes.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Anthony “my son gave Trump 250 Million dollars, also money is speech and corporations are people” Kennedy is laughing at us.

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[–] AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world 70 points 9 months ago

A white nationalist and their money are soon parted.

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 54 points 9 months ago (2 children)

He could sell Mar-a-lago so we could all find out what it's really worth.

[–] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 40 points 9 months ago (2 children)

The secrets in the bathroom are worth at least a few mil

[–] admiralteal@kbin.social 34 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Close to $2B, as I recall, but they're already sold to the Saudis.

[–] crazyCat@sh.itjust.works 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Fun fact about secrets, they can be sold twice!

[–] athos77@kbin.social 4 points 9 months ago

Remember, the bathroom had a copier in it - they could be sold infinite times! [Not to mention cellphone cameras.]

[–] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 7 points 9 months ago

2 billion dollars and this MF is still a free man…America has gone to shit.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

There's always money in the banana room

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[–] PeckerBrown@lemmy.world 40 points 9 months ago

Fuck off, Pumpkin Tits - you broke-ass, loser motherfucker.

[–] KazuyaDarklight@lemmy.world 40 points 9 months ago

But do the costs really matter if you never pay your bills?

[–] bfg9k@lemmy.world 33 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So sick of seeing this CUNT getting away with this shit

FUCK YOU

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

He has neither the warmth nor depth to be called a cunt. That's insulting to productive cunts.

[–] DandomRude@lemmy.world 30 points 9 months ago (2 children)

How can Trump still be a presidential candidate? I've been asking myself that for years now. I just don't get it.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

He's got an enormous base of support in the party with a majority in the parts of the country that get to decide who the President is.

[–] DandomRude@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

How can anyone think Trump should get a second term? I realize, of course, that neither the interests of the people nor common sense are a factor in the States, but even the most unscrupulous businessmen should realize by now that Trump is not an option. I mean, someone who manages to squander even such an exorbitant inheritance without any significant returns can't be considered a smart businessman or any good for business. The only way I can explain the support for Trump is that many influential people backed the wrong horse and are now committed - just the way these people handle their share transactions. But hey, I am not a US-American and so I can't help but get the impression that you all have lost your minds (even for thinking that this is in any way acceptable). How such a ridiculous circus can be possible in a so-called constitutional state is simply beyond me.

[–] jkrtn@lemmy.ml 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Donald lowered their corporate taxes to nothing. They had three years of stock buybacks on the back of the strong economy Obama set up. Then in the pandemic, instead of being held accountable for raiding the coffers and needing to put money back in, they were given trillions more in handouts. And now they are recording record profits and blaming inflation on Biden.

The influential people make serious bank at the expense of the public every time a Repub gets power. Somehow the economy crashes, people lose their jobs and homes, but it is the wealthy receiving billions or trillions in handouts. So these influential people run propaganda networks to make sure low information voters can be tricked into voting for Repubs.

As for how it can happen, my opinion is because we have FPTP voting. If we had score voting, Donald never would have been selected. Dem voters and Independents all would have ranked every functioning adult higher than Donald.

Also the Electoral College means everyone's vote is valued less than a Wyoming vote. That violates the spirit of the 14th Amendment IMO. But Donald being able to run violates the letter of the 14th Amendment so what do I know.

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[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

This is a case of the inmates running the asylum. The Republicans in power who know he's an idiot are stuck with him because he has such a large base of hateful assholes (whose votes they have been courting for decades) who think he's the second coming. Their votes are the only chance they have at winning, and they have only themselves to blame.

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[–] taanegl@lemmy.world 28 points 9 months ago (2 children)

You ever get the feeling that Trump so desperately wants to win so he can change the laws in his favour? Because if he loses, in the polls, in the electoral college, in the courts, at that point there'll be a crater where he once stood.

And deservedly so. We can only hope.

[–] Tyfud@lemmy.world 25 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's not a feeling, it's literally what he said he'd do the first day in office as a dictator for a day. Literally. There's no hyperbole there.

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's basically his Get-out-of-Jail free card that he can use to try to wipe away all of his problems. His arguments for total presidential immunity are ludicrous when he's not in office, but I'm sure if he were to actually be in office again, they wouldn't be laughed off as much. He has to go all in on this or he's basically finished. Although I remember thinking this last election too and here we are again, so maybe if Trump loses we'll still see him running for the 2028 Presidential election (how somebody that unhealthy is still living is beyond me, better men than him have died so much earlier). Not to mention all of Russia's hopes in turning around their war against Ukraine are riding on this election as well, if they can get Trump back in, they can kick the legs out from under Ukraine in one fell swoop, as with every presidential election, there's a lot riding on this.

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[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 27 points 9 months ago

Maggie Haberman can bite my shiny metal ass. She did nothing but normalize and excuse every single thing he did for millions of people. Get her out.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Why is it even legal for them to spend political donations on legal expenses completely unrelated to politics. It's a stretch, but I can almost see it for the January 6th or maybe even the documents cases, because they're at least related to his political career.

But sexual assault, defamation, and fraud cases definitely shouldn't count. They're cases related to actions he took prior to entering politics.

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[–] btaf45@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago (10 children)

Convicted Sex Offender Treason Trump is broke and needs your money to stay out of prison.

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[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (10 children)
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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

My man is literally always begging for money. He brags about how successful he is at begging for money. And he's created an enormous cult of personality full of people who will just give him their money as soon as he asks for it.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 8 points 9 months ago

Trump could have extorted billions out of Putin and/or the Saudis on Inauguration Day. He's such a manbaby that he can only take money from people who are much, much weaker than he is.

[–] InternetUser2012@midwest.social 5 points 9 months ago

He's going to have to go blow daddy Putin again for funding.

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