President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) owes him money for past prosecutions against him.
In the Oval Office, a reporter asked Trump if he was seeking compensation from the DOJ over past federal investigations into him and, if so, how much he was seeking.
‘Well, I guess they probably owe me a lot of money for that,’ Trump said in response. ‘No, I get no salary. I gave up my salary. It’s a good salary. Not as much as these guys make, but that’s OK. It’s a lot of money, and I don’t, as you know, I didn’t take it in the first four years. I didn’t take it these four years either.’
‘But as far as all of the litigation, everything that’s been involved, yeah, they probably owe me a lot of money,’ the president added. ‘But if I get money from our country, I’ll do something nice with it. Like, give it to charity or give it to the White House while we restore the White House, and we’re doing a great job with the White House, as you know, the ballroom is under construction.’
The New York Times reported sources as saying Trump is seeking approximately $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for investigations into him.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that he was ‘not looking for money,’ but that they ‘would have to ask the lawyers about that.’
‘We’ll see what happens,’ Trump said. ‘We have numerous cases having to do with the fraud of the election, the 2020 election, and because of everything that we found out, I guess they owe me a lot of money. But I’m not looking for money. I’m looking for — really, I think it’s got to be, it’s got to be handled in a proper way… We don’t want it to happen again. We can never let what happened in the 2020 election happen again. We just can’t let that happen.’
He was later pressed again about the exact dollar amount in the request and said, ‘I don’t know what the number is. I don’t even talk to them about it.’
Trump then remarked that the decision would have to come across his desk, saying that it would be ‘awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself.’
‘In other words, did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you’re paying yourself in damages?’ Trump said. ‘But I was damaged very greatly. And any money that I would get, I would give to charity.’
The Times noted that the DOJ’s rules state that settlement claims against the department that exceed $4 million ‘must be approved by the Deputy Attorney General, or Associate Attorney General, as appropriate.’
It is unclear where the claims or negotiations with the DOJ stand. However, The Associated Press noted that the ties between Trump and those authorized to make a decision on the settlement could present problems.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche served as one of Trump’s attorneys in the Mar-a-Lago case. Additionally, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward represented Trump’s co-defendant, Walt Nauta, in the Mar-a-Lago case.
‘In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials,’ DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The investigations include the FBI’s 2022 raid of Mar-a-Lago as part of the classified documents case and another probe looking into possible ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. According to the Times, the first claim was filed in late 2023 and was in relation to the Russia probe, while the second — which focused on the Mar-a-Lago raid — was filed in the summer of 2024.
The Times reported Tuesday that Trump had submitted complaints through an administrative claim process, noting that it is something that often precedes lawsuits.
Despite the president saying that he would donate the funds, some Democrats painted the report as an example of Trump trying to enrich himself.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on Wednesday morning that the president was looking ‘to line his own pockets, or he says now to give to a charity of his choice.’ The senator added to the accusation, saying Trump was ‘focusing on getting $230 million that he doesn’t deserve back into his pocket instead of helping the American people get healthcare.’
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who was in the middle of an hours-long speech, slammed Trump for ‘suing the government, then instructing his Department of Justice to settle the suit, thereby translating money into the president’s pocket out of the government.’
Merkley then remarked that ‘there is no limit to the self-serving’ and called for his colleagues, particularly Republicans, to speak out against the president.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.