Overview
- The New York Times, as relayed by CNBC, reported that President Trump is pursuing about $230 million from the department for harms he says flowed from federal investigations, citing people familiar with the matter.
- Two administrative claims underpin the demand: a 2023 filing tied to the Russia-related inquiry into his 2016 campaign and a mid-2024 filing alleging rights violations from the FBI’s 2022 Mar-a-Lago search; the related Florida documents case was later tossed and the DOJ dropped its appeal after the 2024 election.
- The filings use an administrative process that often precedes lawsuits, and the dollar figure has been reported by media but has not been publicly confirmed by the government.
- Trump publicly referenced the matter in the Oval Office, saying he was “sort of suing myself,” while appearing alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.
- Any settlement could be evaluated by senior DOJ officials appointed in Trump’s second term, including Blanche, who previously represented him, according to the Times.