President Donald Trump acknowledged Monday that he is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from the federal government over investigations and prosecutions that were later dropped, confirming a New York Times report that he filed claims for damages against the Justice Department.
“As far as all of the litigation, everything that’s going to go, yeah, they probably owe me a lot of money,” Trump told reporters when asked about the report that he had filed administrative claims seeking $230 million in damages.
Asked specifically about that figure, Trump said, “It could be,” adding that he doesn’t know “what the numbers” are because he doesn’t discuss details with his lawyers.
The political news that affects your wallet, your rights and your vote, broken down in plain language. Free in your inbox.
The president said he would ultimately have to approve any payout himself and described the situation as “strange.”
“And you know that decision would have to go across my desk, and it’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself,” Trump said. “Did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you’re paying yourself in damages? But I was damaged very greatly, and any money that I would get I would give to charity.”
Trump added that he could also give the money “to the White House while we restore the White House.”
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I guess they owe me a lot of money. I’m not looking for money. I’m looking for really—it’s got to be handled in the proper way. We don’t want it to happen again. You have to ask the lawyers about that.”
The Times reported that Trump filed two administrative claims: one in 2023 seeking compensation for the Justice Department’s Russia investigation, and another in 2024 related to the probe into classified documents he took with him from the White House after his first term.
The two Justice Department officials who could approve such claims are the deputy attorney general and the associate attorney general — both of whom have previously represented Trump or his co-defendants in personal legal matters, the newspaper reported.
Trump has repeatedly pressured the Justice Department to investigate his political rivals and carry out his directives.
The White House referred questions about the matter to the Justice Department. A Justice Department spokesperson said the agency had “no comment on the status of claims,” adding, “In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.”
