By Nandita Bose and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump on Tuesday responded to a report that he is seeking $230 million from the Justice Department for legal costs tied to federal investigations against him, saying he is not involved in the request but would donate any money awarded to charity.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump is demanding the Justice Department compensate him over what he claims were politically motivated probes.
“I don’t even talk to them about it,” Trump said of his lawyers. “All I know is that they (Department of Justice) would owe me a lot of money. But I’m not looking for money. I’d give it to charity or something. I would give it to charity, any money. But look what they did. They rigged the election.”
Trump tried to overturn his 2020 election loss to former President Joe Biden, based on his false claims about voter fraud.
In an unprecedented twist, Trump now leads the same federal government that formerly investigated him over the false election-loss claims.
The New York Times said Trump has filed two administrative claims, a step often taken before suing, seeking damages for alleged violations of his rights.
The first, submitted in late 2023, challenges the probe by the FBI and U.S. special counsel into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The second, filed in mid-2024, accuses the FBI of violating Trump’s privacy during a search of Mar-a-Lago and accuses the Justice Department of malicious prosecution over classified documents.
Asked whether DOJ officials would face conflicts in reviewing such claims, Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin said, “In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.”
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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