President Trump has filed two administrative claims with the DOJ seeking up to $230 million related to post-2021 legal disputes, including a 2016-era probe and the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search. Speaking in North Carolina, he joked that he would 'give' himself $1 billion and suggested he might donate some proceeds to charity. Legal experts and lawmakers raised ethics and recusal concerns because the decision would fall to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Trump. House Democrats have opened an inquiry amid criticism over timing during a lengthy government shutdown.
Trump Jokes He'll 'Give Himself $1 Billion' While Seeking Up To $230M From DOJ
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Friday, reiterated that he has filed two administrative claims against the Department of Justice seeking as much as $230 million in damages tied to legal battles since leaving the White House in 2021.
Claims and Context
According to reporting earlier this year, the first claim, filed in 2023, alleges violations of his rights related to the probe of alleged Russian election interference during the 2016 campaign. The second claim, submitted in 2024, contends the FBI violated his privacy by searching his Mar-a-Lago property in 2022 for classified documents.
Trump's Remarks
Addressing supporters late Friday, Trump said the evidence supports his position and demanded action. He ridiculed the notion that he would be the one to settle the claims, saying he is both the plaintiff and the leader of the department that would consider his administrative filings. He then theatrically declared,
'I hereby give myself $1 billion.'He later suggested, with ambivalence, that he might donate some or all of any payout to charity.
Ethics, Oversight, and Reactions
Legal experts and lawmakers quickly flagged the situation as unusual and ethically fraught. Rupa Bhattacharyya, who previously reviewed settlement requests as director of the Torts Branch in the DOJ Civil Division, said that while filing administrative claims is routine, it is unprecedented for a sitting president to press his own department for a multimillion-dollar payout that would benefit him personally.
'There has never been a case where the president would ask the department that he oversees to make a decision in his favor that would result in millions of dollars lining his own pocket at the expense of the American taxpayer,' Bhattacharyya said.
A DOJ spokesperson, Chad Gilmartin, said officials 'follow the guidance of career ethics officials.' But any decision on the administrative claims would fall to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal lawyer, prompting questions about recusal and impartiality.
Republican senators also expressed concern. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Blanche should not be the final arbiter given his prior relationship with Trump. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned the optics are problematic, especially coming during a 43-day government shutdown that drew attention to affordability and budget issues.
House Democrats launched an inquiry into the proposed settlement and its implications for ethics and government accountability.
Why This Matters
The episode raises questions about separation between the executive's personal legal interests and the Justice Department's duty to act independently. Observers note the combination of a sitting president seeking taxpayer-funded relief and the appearance of conflicts of interest as a rare test of established norms.
