Former President Donald Trump’s legal defense in his ongoing criminal trial is being funded by his supporters, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The PAC Save America has paid approximately $4 million to the two law firms representing him in his trial over hush money payments and has also paid a total of approximately $5.8 million to the law firms in Trump’s hush money case. The main PAC paying Trump’s legal bills has spent over $50 million on legal fees since Trump was indicted in Manhattan in March 2023, with additional criminal cases following.
The two lawyers representing Trump at his trial, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, are partners at Blanche Law and have received payments from Save America between April 2023 and March 31. It is unclear how the funds were divided between the two lawyers, and Blanche is also representing Trump in his other criminal cases. Susan Necheles, another Trump attorney, has been paid approximately $1.7 million by Save America during the same time period.
Although Save America had approximately $4 million in cash on hand at the end of March, the PAC has been paying substantial amounts in legal fees, leading to concerns about how Trump will continue to pay his lawyers going forward. The PAC’s main source of cash in recent months has been refund payments made by the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again. However, these payments are set to run out by May, making it uncertain how Save America will raise cash for Trump’s legal bills.
Blanche’s representation of Trump has come under scrutiny following a hearing over whether Trump violated a gag order that did not go well for the ex-president’s attorney. Judge Juan Merchan reportedly became testy with Blanche during the hearing, questioning his credibility with the court. Bove has since taken over cross-examining a witness at the trial. Trump has been indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to cover up Stormy Daniels’ allegations of an affair. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Despite facing widespread scrutiny for using his donors to pay his legal expenses, Trump is unlikely to face consequences as his fundraising for legal expenses falls within a gray area of campaign finance law. Save America has become the main vehicle for Trump to pay his lawyers, with donations from supporters going towards legal bills. The ex-president’s campaign website previously directed donations to Save America, and a high-dollar fundraiser in April also directed donations to the PAC. Trump’s legal expenses continue to be a topic of interest as his hush money trial is expected to continue for another five weeks.
