The idea of a president convincing his own Justice Department to furnish him with nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in taxpayer cash seems too absurd to take seriously.
Putting aside unfathomable ethical implications, such a move would be one of the most glaring examples of a political tin ear in modern times, as many Americans struggle to pay rent or buy groceries.
For this reason, there must be a good chance that Donald Trump’s reported claims for damages over the DOJ’s past investigations into his conduct is a step too far even for him.
Yet Trump has often fashioned a new normality with his outlandish moves. His life in business and politics has been one long and lucrative attempt to apply leverage for personal or financial gain and to sate his thirst for payback. In an inverted political world, where he’s destroyed curbs that constrain presidents and turned the DOJ into a boutique personal law firm, the notion of a bumper personal payout cannot be immediately dismissed as a fantasy.
Trump declined the chance to do so himself in the Oval Office Tuesday after the New York Times reported on the claims. While he initially seemed hazy on details of the two claims, he didn’t rule anything out, saying they “could be” something he’d pursue.
And in his unique way, in which he sometimes seems more like a commentator on his own presidency than its perpetrator, he put his finger on what makes this situation so bizarre — without apparently computing why people are worried about the idea. “It’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself,” the president mused before his political antennae kicked in and he pledged to donate any money he might get to charity.
Although Trump has often described himself as the nation’s top legal officer, he wouldn’t in theory have the final say on the matter. That would fall to officials including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. But since Blanche is Trump’s former personal lawyer, that distinction may not matter very much.
A full 24 hours after the Times story broke, there was still no full on-the-record denial from the White House. The complaints were filed as an administrative claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act — a first step to see whether a settlement is possible before someone can sue for damages. The Times reported Trump was seeking $230 million in total compensation in claims filed before his reelection over alleged rights violations in the Russia investigation during his first term and the probe into his alleged hoarding of classified documents. CNN previously reported on that claim, which sought $100 million. Special counsel Robert Mueller did not find that Trump or his 2016 campaign conspired with Russia. The classified documents case was dropped when Trump won the 2024 election on the grounds that presidents cannot be prosecuted.
Trump would face multiple political and ethical hurdles if he decided to push his claims to a conclusion. The role of Blanche — who acted for the president and presumably billed him for his services in the classified documents case — is only one of the concerns.
To begin with, the symbolism of a billionaire president lining his pockets with taxpayer money would be jarring, especially when the government is shut down, thousands of essential workers are showing up without pay and nutrition benefits for needy Americans are in danger of running out.