U.S. President Donald Trump is using money donated to his re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee to pay for his lawyers in the probe of alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Following Reuters exclusive report on Tuesday, CNN reported that the Republican National Committee paid in August more than $230,000 to cover some of Trump's legal fees related to the probe.
RNC spokesperson Cassie Smedile confirmed to Reuters that Trump's lead lawyer, John Dowd, received $100,000 from the RNC and that the RNC also paid $131,250 to the Constitutional Litigation and Advocacy Group, the law firm where Jay Sekulow, another of Trump's lawyers, is a partner.
It should be noted that they are still soliciting donations on the Trump reelection website.
That means that the party of Ronald "Tear down this wall" Reagan is donating money to help the campaign of the current president fight charges that they may have colluded with the Russians to steal this last election.
Just let that sink in for a moment.
However according to Law Newz there is nothing necessarily illegal about this:
“I have a hard time envisioning the FEC having a problem with this,” Paul S. Ryan told Law Newz in a phone interview. He’s the Vice President of Policy & Litigation at Common Cause, a watchdog group. He said these expenditures are probably legal, especially after the passage of the “Cromnibus” bill in December 2014, which relaxed campaign finance rules. In short, yes, politicians can use campaign funds to pay for legal frees arising from an election.
One major restriction is that such money cannot be used for personal bills. Ryan referenced the legal battle surrounding Ex-Sen. Larry Craig, who used campaign funds to defend himself after his arrest for an incident at an airport report. The courts ruled that he illegally used that money for personal use. But since the Russia probe arises from allegations linked to the election, Ryan said the Trump team has a strong argument to show that this is a campaign-related matter.
Keeping that last part in mind there is also this bit of news courtesy of Raw Story:
After revelations that President Donald Trump is using funds from his campaign and the Republican National Committee to pay for his legal defense, news broke that the RNC also paid almost $200,000 to lawyers representing Donald Trump, Jr.
According to the Wall Street Journal‘s Rebecca Ballhaus, the RNC paid $166,000 to Trump Jr.’s personal lawyer Alan Futerfas, and paid another $30,000 to Washington, D.C.-based firm Williams & Jensen. Both payments took place in the month of August.
Futerfas, Ballhaus pointed out, received a $50,000 payout a few weeks before Trump Jr.’s infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russian operatives last June.
In total, the RNC and the Trump campaign combined have shelled out at least $500,000 to defend the president and Trump Jr.
I would assume that since the Trump Tower meeting happened during the election, that they are still on relatively firm legal ground. Relatively firm.
However since this is supposedly a billionaire family, one might wonder why they do not pay their own fucking legal bills and leave the money donated to the RNC by hardworking Americans where it belongs?
Oh, and remember that promise to donate the left over inaugural funds to charity?
Yeah, I'm going to assume that the money is now lining the pockets of Trump's legal team.
Did the DNC pay Bill Clinton's legal fees? Doubt it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/paula-jones-lawyers-are-back-to-help-another-woman-sue-a-president
Delete" An event-planning professional told the AP that the Trump camp “blew out their budgets,” in part because planning started late and relied on inexperienced staff, and also because of a>
ReplyDeleteDE$IRE for TV-ready production values."
"The Trump inaugural committee raised an unprecedented amount of money, in part by removing caps on individual donations. Both individual power players and major corporate donors contributed to what became a $107 MILLION fund, more than twice the size of the Obama inaugural fund."
Suckulow's law firm should be paying anyone to represent them. If Suckulow is a real lawyer, I'd eat a gazillion MAGAT hats with cowshit piled on top.
ReplyDeleteI would expect to see the donations drop substantially to that Republican fund. I know I'd not provide them a dime since Trump is using the money to defend himself. What a jerk! As if he cannot afford to pay his own bills and responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans - pay attention to what you are doing and supporting! Way past time that you stop doing it and begin the impeachment process (for treason!).
Reminds me of Sarah, using her PAC to constantly fund raise...to live high without working and to also support her worthless spawn.
Delete$Arah extorted funds from a HUGE account. She knows if they try to arrest her, she will squeal like a pig.
DeleteProblem is, they are already investigating the money...
Sounds like PayMePalin is going to jail. Don't steal.
DeleteNo one likes a thief.
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/start-with-your-husband-melania-trump-ruthlessly-mocked-after-un-speech-condemning-bullying/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/09/putins-pro-trump-operation-may-have-been-far-bigger-than-we-yet-know/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-appear-to-use-facebook-to-push-pro-trump-flash-mobs-in-florida
"Russians Appear to Use Facebook to Push Trump Rallies in 17 U.S. Cities
‘Being Patriotic,’ a Facebook group
uncovered by The Daily Beast, is the first evidence of suspected Russian provocateurs explicitly mobilizing Trump supporters in real life."
please.make.it.stop.
ReplyDeleteTrump is Hitler II! All he professes is that he wants to kill masses of people! He's deplorable and pure evil!
ReplyDeleteCan we as a nation please stop throwing around the term narcissism? I hear people describe almost every public figure as such. It's losing meaning every day. An aspect of REAL narcissism is an ability to love. While there may be an occasional film star or politician that embodies narcissism, most (actually probably all mentioned with the word) are not.
ReplyDeleteTrump more than likely is not one since I believe he does feel love for his children. I think he just has a huge ego and some issues that went untreated for decades. All humans are fallible.
But PLEASEEEE, people of the world, stop being armchair psychiatrists. It's insulting and harmful and further cements the stigma on mental health. We're trying to abolish that stigma.
Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean they are ______.
"Can we as a nation please stop throwing around the term narcissism?"
DeleteWhat nonsense.
Oh Fuck. dRUMPf>HE HAS " “so many friends going to your countries trying to get rich.”
ReplyDelete"He later referred to the non-existent country of “Nambia” when discussing health crises on the continent. It is unclear if Trump was referring to Namibia or Zambia. There is no country called Nambia."
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/trump-tells-african-leaders-his-friends-are-going-to-your-countries-trying-to-get-rich-and-makes-up-country-of-nambia/
Did HE mean?
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_cataclysm
He knows he won't need a re-election fund, he may as well spend it on his many crimes.
ReplyDeleteDoes Sarah Palin know she is working for Putin or is she just stupid.
Exclusive: Russians Appear to Use Facebook to Push Trump Rallies in 17 U.S. Cities http://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-appear-to-use-facebook-to-push-pro-trump-flash-mobs-in-florida?source=twitter&via=desktop
of coarse he's using RNC funds to pay legal fees. Wait until someone finds out he's using taxpayers money to fund something of his. It's happening as we speak. Donald Trump is a number one grifter. But his base don't care as long as he stays anti brown people. You know the white people don't want to lose out in the game of the survival of the fittest. That's why they love this big mouthed bully.
ReplyDeletewhere is the money promised to the hurricane victims? funny how Mexico could not wait to help them. where is the money for the Mexican earthqaucke victims? Obama would have been there the speed of sound. i miss his kindness, and the fact that cared for all of us.
ReplyDeletethe survival the fittest!??? this followers as so inbred it will be survival off the dumbest.
ReplyDeleteIt's not illegal, just without precedent. That's what clever lawyers do, they find the money :-)
ReplyDeleteThe fund was originally intended to pay costs relating to recounts and such. No one anticipated money would be used to defend a president from criminal acts relating to an election.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder Trump started campaigning so soon after he was elected. He's not campaigning for 2020. He's campaigning to raise money for his legal defense.
He is going to suck the RNC DRY!
Karma, baby. I have no sympathy. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of assholes.