Here's what Trump PAC Save America has spent on Trump's legal bills this year
Save America, the political action committee founded by former President Donald Trump, disclosed in its mid-year FEC filing that it spent $21.6 million on Trump-related legal fees in the first half of 2023. That's the lion's share of the approximately $25 million the PAC spent overall in that period.
A source familiar with the PAC's spending, however, said before the PAC submitted its FEC filing that Save America has spent more than $40 million on legal fees for Trump and his allies on multiple legal cases in the first six months of 2023. The Washington Post first reported the figure.
By comparison, the PAC spent $16 million on Trump legal costs during all of 2021 and 2022 combined, according to previous FEC filings.
Before Trump announced he was running for reelection in November 2022, the Republican National Committee paid many of the former president's legal bills. But in November, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told CNN the committee could not continue to pay Trump's legal bills if he announced a 2024 presidential bid, which he did shortly thereafter.
According to the FEC, the pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc, has given back $12.25 million to Save America PAC, which is footing the lion's share of Trump's legal bills, and those of associates who have been ensnared in the multiple ongoing investigations. The MAGA Inc super PAC raised $13.1 million during the first half of the year, according to its disclosure.
Save America PAC, which had raised approximately $103 million by early 2022, has run through most of its funds, and had just $3.7 million in total cash on hand by the end of June, according to the FEC filing.
CBS News reported Monday that a group of Trump allies, led by longtime Trump ally Michael Glassner, are creating a new legal defense fund, the Patriot Legal Defense Fund Inc., and its focus will be on paying legal bills not for Trump and his family, but for Trump's allies and staffers.
Earlier this year, the Trump campaign noted in fine print that it was increasing the percentage of supporters' donations it sent to Trump's Save America PAC from 1% to 10%, as the New York Times first reported in June.
Trump has made varying claims about his net worth over the years. As of May, Forbes estimated the former president's net worth at $2.5 billion.
Trump has already been indicted on multiple counts and his biggest legal battles are only intensifying. The New York "hush money" case trial won't get going until March, at the earliest, and he won't face trial until at least May in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, as currently scheduled. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts in both cases.
The former president could also be facing more indictments. He said on social media earlier in July that he received a target letter from special counsel Jack Smith related to the Jan. 6 investigation and alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and multiple sources confirmed the post was accurate. In Fulton County, Georgia, a grand jury has also been investigating attempts to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election in that state.
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- Donald Trump
- Jack Smith
Fin Gómez is CBS News' political director.
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