Donald Trump’s invite to major donors prioritizes the committee paying his legal bills over the RNC
Donald Trump says he is making Michigan a priority. So far, it's all talk. Image via AP.

Donald Trump
'Trump is in dire need of money to pay his legal fees and he’s draining his PAC and he’s spending huge amounts of money out of his campaign committee.'

Donald Trump’s new joint fundraising agreement with the Republican National Committee (RNC) directs donations to his campaign and a political action committee that pays the former President’s legal bills before the RNC gets a cut, according to a fundraising invitation obtained by The Associated Press.

The unorthodox diversion of funds to the Save America PAC makes it more likely that Republican donors could see their money go to Trump’s lawyers, who have received at least $76 million over the last two years to defend him against four felony indictments and multiple civil cases. Some Republicans are already troubled that Trump’s takeover of the RNC could shortchange the cash-strapped party.

Trump has invited high-dollar donors to Palm Beach for an April 6 fundraiser that comes as his fundraising is well behind President Joe Biden and national Democrats. The invitation’s fine print says donations to the Trump 47 Committee will first be used to give the maximum amount allowed under federal law to Trump’s campaign. Anything left over from the donation next goes toward a maximum contribution to Save America, and then anything left from there goes to the RNC and then to state political parties.

Adav Noti, the Executive Director of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center in Washington, said that is a break from fundraising norms. Usually, Noti said, candidates prioritize raising cash that can be spent directly on campaign activity. Save America, on the other hand, is structured as a “leadership PAC” and thus barred from spending directly on Trump’s own campaign activities. The group devoted 84% of its spending to Trump’s legal costs as of February.

“The reason most candidates don’t do this is because the hardest money to raise is money that can be spent directly on the campaign,” said Noti, a former staff attorney for the Federal Election Commission. “No other candidate has used a leadership PAC the way the Trump campaign has.”

Representatives for the Trump campaign did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Trump’s handpicked leadership team for the RNC includes his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who is the Committee’s Co-Chair, and Chris LaCivita, who serves effectively as one of two Campaign Managers for the Trump campaign and is now also taking on a Chief of Staff role at the RNC.

Lara Trump in February said she thought Republican voters would like to see the RNC pay Trump’s legal fees.

But shortly before the leadership change was voted in at the RNC, LaCivita told the AP in an interview that “not a penny of the RNC’s money or, for that matter, the campaign’s money has gone or will go to pay legal fees,” he said.

Before Trump was a candidate, the RNC was paying some of his legal bills for cases in New York that began when he was President, The Washington Post reported. Former Chair Ronna McDaniel, who was ousted this month, said in 2022 that the RNC would stop paying once Trump became a candidate.

The new arrangement doesn’t direct RNC funds to lawyers, but it ensures that when checks are written to the new combined Republican campaign, Trump’s campaign and Save America get paid first.

According to the fine print, any donor who wishes can direct their contribution to be distributed differently. Donors could also bypass the fundraising arrangement and give directly to the RNC or any other entity.

Trump’s political operation is struggling to catch up to Biden on fundraising and organization. His main campaign account and the Save America PAC reported raising a combined $15.9 million in February and ended the month with more than $37 million on hand, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday night.

The two committees are key parts of Trump’s fundraising operation but only a portion of the picture. The rest of his fundraising apparatus is scheduled to report updated numbers in April, along with the new Trump 47 Committee formed with the Republican National Committee.

“Trump is in dire need of money to pay his legal fees and he’s draining his PAC and he’s spending huge amounts of money out of his campaign committee,” said Brett Kappel, a longtime campaign finance lawyer who has represented both Republicans and Democrats.

Biden’s campaign, meanwhile, said his political operation raised $53 million last month and ended February with $155 million on hand. That includes Biden’s joint fundraising with the Democratic National Committee. The full picture will not be available until April when some of the committees in his political operation are due to file reports.

His main campaign account raised $21 million in February, according to its latest filing with the FEC, and ended the month with $71 million on hand.

As the party’s presumptive nominee, Trump effectively controls the RNC and his political operation can now take advantage of the far higher contribution limits that apply to party committees. While candidates can accept a maximum donation of $3,300, under the joint fundraising agreement, a single donor could sign a check for just over $800,000, while a couple could contribute $1.6 million.

The April 6 fundraiser slated to benefit the Trump 47 Committee lists billionaire investor John Paulson as a host and Co-Chairs include Robert Bigelow, a Las Vegas-based businessman who had supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign; New York grocery billionaire John Catsimatidis; Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive and head of the Small Business Administration while Trump was President; casino mogul Steve Wynn; and former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

Guests are asked to contribute $814,600 per person as a “chairman” contributor, which comes with seating at Trump’s table, or $250,000 per person as a “host committee’ contributor. Both options come with a photo opportunity and a personalized copy of Trump’s coffee table book featuring photographs from his administration, ”Our Journey Together.”

Three of Trump’s former rivals for the GOP nomination — South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — are all slated to appear as “special guests.”

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

Associated Press


12 comments

  • David D

    March 21, 2024 at 4:56 pm

    Trump draining the RNC is literally the best thing ever.

    • Dont Say FLA

      March 21, 2024 at 7:30 pm

      Hey, Trump is finally fulfilling that campaign promise he made during the 2015-16 election season: Drain the swamp.

      Dang it, there goes truthfulness in saying he fulfilled ZERO of campaign promises.

      I am not a fan of statement qualifiers, but I reckon now we will have to say Trump fulfilled ZERO of his campaign promises during his first (and only) Presidential term.

  • Earl Pitts "The Big Voice On The Right" American

    March 21, 2024 at 6:15 pm

    Good evening America,
    I, Earl Pitts American, am working closley with the Sage Trump Team to begin withholding every penny Trump paid from every Federal Dollar due to The Dook State of New York, Georgia, and each State which annoyed Trump with Lawfare.
    Sorry to any and all Sage Patriots still living in NY & GA but y’all must suffer too because y’all did not stop it.
    Too bad …. so sad ….. y’all can still move to a Non-Dook State and not feel The Pain.
    Thank you America,
    Earl Pitts American
    * oh BTW we are charging for Trump’s Pain & Suffering too. *

    • rick whitaker

      March 22, 2024 at 2:03 pm

      earl, now would be a good time to triple your florida gop donation along with your national gop party donation. trump needs all the lawyer money he can get. stay right behind a dog long enough, and you will get shit on. i make only single candidate contributions. i want to know the person i give money to. i have sent bernie and hillary money in the past, but now i want to keep local. earl what do you maga guys think about trump blowing all the money on himself, instead of the party? i forgot, maga people don’t think, they just parrot trumps wishes. how does it feel to be a punk’s punk?

      • Earl Pitts "The Big Voice On The Right" American

        March 22, 2024 at 6:30 pm

        Excellent Contrarian Lefty Reply to my Sage Wisdom. Our readers just love our “Fake Back & Forth” entertainment.
        Keep up the great work my man and our “FANBASE” will keep clicking on F. P.
        Thanks again Buddy Roe your the best,
        Earl Pitts American
        *Queue Loud Patriotic Music To Honor My Buddy Roe’s Service To Our Great Nations Military and to further whizz off all the Real Dook 4 Brains Readers, Commenters *

        • rick whitaker

          March 22, 2024 at 6:37 pm

          earl, when i saw you use the phrase ” buddy roe “, i knew that you have got to be the most redneck, boring man on earth. yeah, i got you right, you are an a-1 punk’s punk for sure. i bet that butt sure does stink. you foul POS

  • Dont Say FLA

    March 21, 2024 at 7:18 pm

    If Trump didn’t want to be so broke, he should have thought about that before he did the things he did. Do the crimes, lose your dimes.

  • KathrynA

    March 22, 2024 at 9:58 am

    So agree with Dont Say FLA. Trump did the crimes (and probably many more) and expects everyone else to pay for it. What a whiner and boasts about his wealth, but let the little person help pay and then, drain the GOP of its funds after promising just a very few weeks ago, they wouldn’t do so. What a liar, but I too, am okay with the GOP having their donations taken. They’ve sold their party and souls to this ruthless and totally, evil man. He really cares about the others in his party running for office. LOL!

  • Margaret

    March 22, 2024 at 12:32 pm

    Honest people do not have to pay lawyers or fines to Courts for their behavior. Why anybody would give money to a proven crook and disgusting excuse for a human being is beyond my comprehension.

  • Ron Forrest Ron

    March 22, 2024 at 3:49 pm

    If Trump were green instead of orange, He would be indistinguishable from Pepe the White Nationalist Cartoon Frog.

    This is why MAGAs voters love Trump so much. They think he is Pepe the Frog sprayed with orange coloring.

  • Christian Representation

    March 25, 2024 at 4:49 am

    Nothing represents Christianity better than

    a criminal

    begging for money

    to get out of trouble he made for himself

  • Legal Aid in Florida

    March 25, 2024 at 1:18 pm

    Legal aid is supposed to be for the poors.

    It’s typically for people being victimized by slum lords, not for the slum lords themselves.

    By requesting legal aid, Trump seems to be confessing that he is one of the poors.

    Well how about that. Maybe he really is just like his voters after all, in this one respect, at least .

    Broke Don is broke and blaming everyone but himself. He really does speak for the MAGAs doesn’t he? How about them apples.

Comments are closed.


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