ANALYSIS || In an upside-down political world, where Trump has destroyed the restrictions that limit presidents and turned the Justice Department into a personal law firm, the notion of an exorbitant personal payout cannot be immediately dismissed as a fantasy.
The idea of a President convincing his own Department of Justice (DOJ) to pay him nearly a quarter of a million dollars in taxpayer money seems too absurd to be taken seriously.
Setting aside the incomprehensible ethical implications, such a move would constitute one of the most egregious examples of political insensitivity in modern times, at a time when many Americans are struggling to pay their rent or buy food.
For this reason, Donald Trump’s allegations are likely to be a step too far, even for him.
However, Trump has often created a new normal with his extravagant measures. His life in business and politics has been a long and profitable attempt to apply influence for personal or financial gain and to quench his thirst for revenge. In an upside-down political world where we have destroyed the restrictions that limit presidents and turned the DOJ into a personal law firm, the notion of an exorbitant personal payout cannot immediately be dismissed as a fantasy.
Trump declined the opportunity to do so in person in the Oval Office on Tuesday after the . While he initially seemed confused about the details of the two allegations, he didn’t rule anything out, saying they were “something he would look into.”
And, in his unique way, which at times makes him seem more like a commentator on his own presidency than its protagonist, he pointed out what makes this situation so bizarre — without apparently understanding why people are worried about the idea. “It’s very strange to make a decision in which I’m paying for myself”, pondered the President before his political antenna came into action, leading him to commit to donating all the money he might receive to charities.
While Trump has often described himself as the country’s top legal official, he would not, in theory, have the final say on the matter. That would fall to officials like Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. But given that Blanche is Trump’s former personal lawyer, that distinction may not matter much.
Twenty-four hours after the Times report was published, there was still no official denial from the White House. The complaints were filed as an administrative claim under the Federal Civil Injury Claims Act — a first step to see if a settlement can be reached before anyone can sue for damages. The Times reported that Trump was seeking total damages of $230 million in lawsuits filed before his re-election over alleged rights violations in the Russia investigation during his first term and in the investigation into his keeping and hoarding classified documents. To this action, under which he asked for 100 million dollars. Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not conclude that Trump or his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. The confidential documents case was dropped when Trump won the 2024 election, on the grounds that presidents cannot be prosecuted.
A word that rarely concerns the White House: ethics
Trump would face several political and ethical obstacles if he decided to pursue his demands to the end. The role of Blanche — who acted on behalf of the President and presumably billed for her services in the confidential documents case — is just one of the concerns.
For starters, the symbolism of a billionaire President lining his pockets with taxpayers’ money would be shocking, especially when thousands of essential employees are working without pay and are at risk of burnout.
“Particularly right now, we’re talking about a $250 million transfer, perhaps, to the President, when we’re in a shutdown situation, so at best it’s bad timing, but I think it’s a horrible picture,” said North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who is more likely to speak out than many of his Trump-fearing colleagues since he is not running for re-election.
Even the Democratic Party, which has struggled to contain Trump with an effective counteroffensive, could certainly benefit from such a spectacle, especially in the context of a shutdown they provoked with the . Trump would run the risk of suffering a backlash from voters in difficult economic times. A poll for CBS News earlier this month revealed that the economy, jobs and inflation are the main concerns. Around 75% think that Trump is not focusing enough on the price of goods and services, at a time when he is threatening to send troops to US cities, attack alleged drug trafficking boats in the oceans and persecute them.
Still, Trump has never shown much concern about reaching beyond his political base. And many of his constituents share his view that he was persecuted by the Justice Department, despite substantial evidence of wrongdoing — which the President has denied — and two grand jury indictments. It has often proven that it has more room for maneuver than many experts give it credit for.
“Taxpayers pay for a lot of things… about $2 billion more than they should every year,” Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, a Trump loyalist, said Wednesday. “But I hope they resolve this. And I know the President is just trying to put pressure on the Justice Department, to say, ‘Listen, this was done wrong.'”
An increasingly wasteful administration
Any decision to pay Trump would reinforce the President’s view that the traditional barrier between the White House and the Justice Department must be torn down.
Normally, one would expect the employees involved to refuse to participate. But the fate of Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first-term attorney general who refused to participate in the Russia investigation — and — serves as a lesson. And could there be any expectation that Blanche or Attorney General Pam Bondi would risk their jobs to challenge Trump after several examples of the Justice Department’s obedience to a President who is using it to persecute his own?
“I think it’s yet another example of Donald Trump using the Justice Department as his private playground, trying to line his pockets,” Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday. “He’s just going to see if his puppets that he’s placed in the Justice Department will act on his behalf…he doesn’t think they should clash. Maybe they will. But he deliberately put his personal lawyers there.”
If Trump were to secure a big payout from the Justice Department, it would exacerbate criticism that he is using his position to , despite his past promises to “drain the swamp.” Democrats complained that Trump and his clan made hundreds of millions of dollars from an industry-friendly policy triggered by his administration. Meanwhile, the US has received one that it plans to use as its new Air Force One, which has raised huge ethical concerns given the Gulf nation’s role in US foreign policy. And the First Lady.
A grant from the Justice Department to the President would be the latest example of a government increasingly willing to invest huge amounts of money in its pet projects while cutting funding for government programs. Last week the Coast Guard planned to spend an estimated total of $200 million on two private jets to be used by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other senior officials. And Trump is planning one, conditional on voter support for his populist friend and MAGA hero, President Javier Milei.
A huge Justice Department payment to Trump could top all of that. But surely, considering all the political responsibilities and ethical nightmares, he would not go ahead.
Or would you? Before this week, no one could have imagined that the demolishing President would have destroyed a beloved part of the White House without consulting the people, the true owners of the house where he is only a temporary resident.
But the historic ghosts of the elegant rooms once graced by Jacqueline Kennedy now, before Trump’s vast new ballroom rises — a kind of Mar-a-Lago on the Potomac.
