Comment Section for Trump’s PACs Spent Roughly $50 Million on Legal Expenses in 2023 - The New York Times

The article from The New York Times reports that former President Donald Trump's political action committees (PACs) spent approximately $50 million on legal expenses in 2023. This significant expenditure is due to the former president's four criminal indictments and potential trials, which could further increase his legal bills. These expenses were primarily funded by donor money, with the exact figure due to be reported in new filings to the Federal Election Commission. Trump used funds from his PAC, Save America, to cover his legal bills. With these funds nearly drained, Trump sought a refund of $60 million that he had initially transferred to a pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., to support his 2024 campaign. Furthermore, Trump has been directing 10% of donations raised online to Save America. The article also mentions that Trump paid legal expenses through another account, the Make America Great Again PAC, which is an outgrowth of his 2020 re-election committee. This PAC spent almost all of the $5.85 million it received from Save America in the first half of 2023 on legal and investigation-related costs. In addition, the article discusses various investigations and legal cases the former president is facing, including falsifying business records related to a hush money payment during the 2016 election and having classified material at his Mar-a-Lago club. Financial burdens from civil litigation against Trump are also mentioned, such as a defamation case brought against him by writer E. Jean Carroll, which resulted in an $83.3 million penalty, and a potential penalty of $370 million in a civil fraud trial.