Former President Donald Trump expended over $50 million from his political action committee funds in 2023 to cover escalating legal fees, according to recent campaign filings.
Federal Election Commission records reveal that Trump’s Save America and Make America Great Again PACs directed significant amounts towards the former president’s various legal cases, concluding the year with a combined $5.7 million in cash on hand.
At the commencement of the year, these fundraising committees boasted a total of $18.5 million in cash on hand. Over the course of 2023, Make America Great Again funneled $42.5 million back to Save America to recover funds expended on legal battles.
Despite the substantial allocation to legal matters, Trump’s principal campaign committee retained a substantial sum, surpassing $33 million in cash as of the conclusion of 2023. The former president currently confronts 91 criminal charges spread across federal, state, and local indictments, with trials for these cases expected throughout 2024.
In addition to the criminal charges, Trump is embroiled in civil suits in New York, facing allegations of inflating the Trump Organization’s wealth and defaming magazine writer E. Jean Carroll. He was found liable last year for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996, resulting in an $83.3 million damages order that he plans to appeal.
A verdict in Trump’s $370 million business fraud case is anticipated in the coming month. Trump also disbursed nearly $5 million to attorney Chris Kise, who is representing him against felony charges in Manhattan and Miami federal court.