President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Oval Office on Oct. 15, 2025, as FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi look on. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said overdue Tuesday that he is personally due a huge payment from the Justice Department and that he has the authority to approve it. He said he was “very much harmed” by the government’s investigation into his alleged hoarding of confidential documents and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Responding to a question about reports that he was seeking up to $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department, Trump replied: “I don’t know the numbers. I don’t even talk to them about it. I just know they would owe me a lot of money, but I’m not looking for money.”
“I would donate it to charity or something. I would donate it to charity, any money. But look what they did. They rigged the election,” Trump said, apparently referring to his false claim that President Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election. Trump’s attempt to overturn the election results, including inciting the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was the subject of a separate federal criminal investigation.
The situation highlights ethical concerns that Trump’s former defense attorneys, who now hold top positions at the Justice Department, would likely play a role in deciding whether the president receives the money.
Trump claimed he would make the final decision on whether to pay the damages himself.
“It’s interesting because I’m the one making the decision, right? And you know that decision would have to go through my desk, and it’s terribly strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself,” Trump said said CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Tuesday evening after a Diwali celebration at the White House.
The New York Times reported On Tuesday, Trump filed claims for damages in 2023 and 2024 for violations of his rights during a special counsel investigation into whether his 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia, as well as for violations of his privacy when federal agents searched his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida for classified documents in 2022.
“But I was very damaged and any money I got I would donate to charity,” he added.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the status of Trump’s claims.
“In all cases, all Justice Department officials follow the guidance of professional ethics officials,” said department spokesman Chad Gilmartin.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has been a vocal advocate and legal adviser to Trump in several investigations, including handling the Russian meddling probe in 2016. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Trump during the government’s investigation into secret documents stored at Mar-a-Lago after the president’s first term.
According to the Times, Stanley Woodward, the former defense attorney for Trump’s co-defendant in the classified documents investigation, now heads the Justice Department’s civil division, which reviews damages claims.
When asked Wednesday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he was unaware of the details but was largely defending Trump.
“I haven’t spoken to him about it. I know he believes he’s owed that refund. What I heard yesterday was that if he gets it, he would think about donating it to a charity. I mean, he doesn’t need those proceeds. But we’re for the rule of law, we’re for what’s just and right. And it’s just absurd. As has been stated here several times this morning, they’re taking him for anything at what he does. “It doesn’t matter what it is,” the Louisiana Republican said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, criticized Trump’s request for compensation because the president was trying to “steal $230 million from taxpayers to continue lining his pockets.”
Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.
