Since the beginning of the year, Save America, the former president's political action committee (PAC), has spent over $40 million on Trump's legal fees, CNN reports.
WASHINGTON — 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.
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 made his fundraising soar. Yet the Republican presidential front-runner burned through at least $42.8 million this year, much of it used to cover costs related to legal costs Trump, his aides and other allies face, leaving him with $31.8 million cash on hand. 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 previously donated to it.
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. 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.
An analysis of campaign finance reports shows Trump's political committees paid out at least $59.2 million to more than 100 lawyers and law firms since January 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
It's a familiar position for Trump, carrying an echo of the 2020 presidential contest when his massive cash advantage over Joe Biden evaporated amid his campaign's profligate spending. Though Trump dominates the Republican primary field, a lack of cash could force his campaign to make difficult decisions as he braces for the possibility of two additional indictments, which could come as soon as this week and are related to his efforts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Paul S. Ryan, a longtime campaign finance attorney in Washington, referring to the sum Trump's operation spent on legal fees this year. "There's no legal issue. It's really just a question for his donors: Do they want to be funding lawyers?"
Trump is not alone in his money struggles. His top rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised over $20 million after launching his much-hyped candidacy in May. But DeSantis, who trails Trump in a distant second place, hemorrhaged cash in his first six weeks as a candidate, burning through $8 million in a spending spree that included more than 100 paid staffers, a large security detail and luxury travel.
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. It also spent roughly one-quarter of that money, much of it going to cover operations, such as voter turnout, typically paid for by a candidate's campaign, filings show.
The group was financed with $80 million left over from DeSantis' successful 2022 gubernatorial reelection campaign. 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.
DeSantis pledged to trim expenses, laying off more than a third of his staff. Trump does not have the same luxury.
Trump's allies are launching a new fundraising effort. The Patriot Legal Defense Fund 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 last month with the IRS.
Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is leading the federal investigations of Trump. His team expressed interest in the payment of legal fees for Trump-aligned witnesses in the investigations and sought information about it, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Trump's PAC requested that his super PAC, MAGA Inc., return some money it transferred to seed the group. Filings show Trump's PAC, Save America, received $12.2 million in refunds from the group in May and June.
A spokesman for the super PAC did not respond to a request for comment.
Campaigns routinely pay attorneys to manage their electoral and campaign finance matters but legal experts say Trump's staggering legal spending is unprecedented.
Most top recipients represented Trump and his allies in investigations. Attorney Alina Habba, a Trump legal spokeswoman who worked on the civil sexual assault brought by writer E Jean Carroll, collected $3.5 million for her firm since 2022, records show. The firm of Evan Corcoran, a lawyer in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, collected $3.4 million. Entities established by Stefan Passantino, a former Trump White House ethics lawyer who advised Trump world figures in the House's investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, received $3.1 million.
Trump launched Save America after the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden. The group bombarded supporters with a stream of text messages and emails that purported to raise money for an "election defense fund" that would be used to contest the election's outcome.
The $170 million the effort raised in less than a month was not used to contest the election, records show. Instead, it was used to pay down campaign debt and replenish the coffers of the Republican National Committee, with Trump stockpiling another large chunk for his future political endeavors. Last year, the Justice Department issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that sought information about the PAC's fundraising practices.