Overview
- Trump told reporters any payout "would have to go across my desk" and floated giving the money to charity or a White House ballroom project.
- The demand rests on two administrative claims filed in late 2023 and mid-2024 alleging rights and privacy violations and "malicious prosecution" tied to the Russia inquiry and the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search, with an August 2024 claim reviewed by the Associated Press.
- The Justice Department has given no update on the claims, and a spokesperson said officials follow guidance from career ethics advisers, while Axios reported there had been no internal movement since inauguration until Trump’s recent comments.
- Settlements over $4 million require approval by senior DOJ officials, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. in key signoff roles and Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel in top posts.
- Any settlement would be paid by taxpayers and might not be publicly announced, as Democrats decried the effort and signaled oversight, calling it a "shakedown."