Donald Trump

Trump’s super PAC has helped foot his legal bills. That might end soon.

Author: Editors Desk Source: Politico

April 21, 2024 at 02:10

Former President Donald Trump's leadership PAC's spending on legal expenses was almost as much as Trump’s campaign committee in the month of March. | Pool photo by Spencer Platt

Save America has now spent about $60 million on legal consulting since the beginning of 2023.

A PAC controlled by former President Donald Trump that has devoted tens of millions of dollars to his and his allies’ legal bills could be running out of cash after spending nearly $3.7 million on legal fees in March.

Save America, Trump’s leadership PAC, has now spent $59.5 million on legal consulting since the start of 2023. It also incurred $886,000 in new legal debt in March, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission late Saturday. More than $1.1 million of its March spending went toward two firms representing Trump in his New York criminal hush money trial.

The total spent on legal expenses for Save America was almost as much as Trump’s campaign committee in the month of March, highlighting how legal troubles have sucked up the cash of his political operation. Trump’s official campaign committee spent just over $3.7 million in March, with travel expenses, followed by payroll, occupying its biggest expenditure categories.That total is minuscule compared to the more than $29 million that President Joe Biden’s campaign spent in March, with the incumbent launching a major ad campaign.

Save America, Trump’s leadership PAC, was able to stay in the black in March due to another $5 million refund in March from Make America Great Again Inc., the Trump-backing super PAC. The super PAC has transferred $5 million to the leadership PAC each month going back to last July, with less regular transfers before then.

The leadership PAC initially seeded the super PAC with $60 million before he announced his candidacy. Now, MAGA Inc. can only send $2.75 million more back to Save America, raising questions about whether Save America will continue to be the vehicle to fund legal bills in several cases linked to Trump.

Ronna McDaniel gives a speech. — Among the RNC’s March expenses was $118,000 paid to former Chair Ronna McDaniel on March 6, two days before she left the committee. | Michael Wyke/AP

The leadership PAC had just over $4 million cash on hand at the end of March. It can still raise funds from donors and has previously gotten money through one of Trump’s joint fundraising committees, though such transfers have been rare in recent months. That source may be further closed off going forward: Since the start of April, Trump has primarily been sending fundraising emails on behalf of a new joint fundraising committee, Trump National Committee, that fundraises only for his campaign and the Republican National Committee.

The RNC reported its best fundraising month so far in March, with $20 million raised, roughly half of which came through another Trump-linked joint fundraising committee. The party committee spent $10 million, however, leaving it with $21 million cash on hand, less than half of the $45 million that the Democratic National Committee reported having in the bank at the end of March.

Among the RNC’s March expenses was $118,000 paid to former Chair Ronna McDaniel on March 6, two days before she left the committee. Representatives for McDaniel and the RNC did not immediately return a request for comment on the payment.

MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC that has been bankrolling Save America, continued to rake in cash in March, with $14 million raised led by massive donations from familiar GOP donors. Linda McMahon, the former WWE CEO who led the Small Business Administration under Trump, gave $5 million to the super PAC, while Nevada real estate magnate Robert Bigelow gave more than $4 million. Most of those funds cannot go to Save America, as MAGA Inc. is limited in what it can transfer based on what Save America previously gave to the super PAC during the 2022 cycle.

Alex Isenstadt contributed to this report.