A new Donald Trump fundraiser will spend donations on his campaign and Save America, the political action committee (PAC) that has paid for the Republican's legal bills.
The Associated Press reported it obtained a fundraising invitation outlining the arrangement on Friday, claiming Trump invited donors to Palm Beach, Florida, on April 6. The outlet reports the invitation's fine print says donations to his new committee will first be used to give the maximum amount allowed under federal law to his campaign and that anything else will go towards Save America and then to the RNC and then to state political parties.
Newsweek has not obtained a copy of this invitation to verify it.
When asked for comment, Steven Cheung, Trump campaign communications director told Newsweek: "Save America also covers a very active and robust post-Presidency office and other various expenses not related to fighting the illegal witch-hunts perpetrated by Crooked Joe Biden. The Trump campaign, the RNC, and state GOP parties ultimately receive the overwhelming majority of funds raised through the Trump 47 Committee. Out of an Individual donor's maximum contribution of $824,600, less than 1% (.006%) goes to Save America."
On Wednesday, Trump launched a joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee (RNC) to raise money.
The committee, Trump National Committee JFC, filed a statement of organization with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) on Wednesday amid his soaring legal bills.
Earlier this month, the former president posted a bond of nearly $92 million in his E. Jean Carroll defamation case after Judge Lewis Kaplan denied the Republican's request to delay the enforcement of penalties. In January, Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million in damages to Carroll, a journalist, for statements made in 2019.
Meanwhile, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled in February that Trump must pay $355 million for committing fraud. The New York court held that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization committed fraud by inflating the value of his assets to obtain more favorable terms from lenders and insurers. With interest, the full payment will be around $464 million. Trump's lawyers are appealing the verdict but if he cannot secure enough cash to settle the bill or secure a bond from a private company by next Monday, March 25, his local real estate assets will be seized and liquidated by the state. His team has previously said he has struggled to secure a bond.
Meanwhile, it comes as a Wednesday FEC filing revealed that Save America, which supports the Republican's campaign, spent more than it raked in on legal fees for the former president, spending nearly $5.4 million on Trump's legal bills in February and ending the monthly reporting period with some $4 million.
Earlier this month, Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, and his ally Michael Whatley were elected as co-chair and chair of the RNC. Lara Trump vowed the RNC would spend money paying for Trump's legal fees.
Following her election as co-chair, Lara Trump said: "Everything I do at this committee will have one focus: re-electing Donald Trump, flipping the Senate, and expanding the House this November."
Update 3/22/24, 8:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Trump's spokesperson.
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Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more
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