‘It’s disgusting’: Trump will reportedly demand DOJ pay him $230 million for federal prosecutions

“One of the most blatant acts of greed and corruption in a generation,” former DOJ official Anthony Coley told theGrio.

President Donald Trump will reportedly demand that the U.S. Department of Justice pay him $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations of him, accusing the federal government of malicious prosecution.

According to The New York Times, Trump has not yet filed a lawsuit; however, his legal team filed complaints in an administrative claims process that are deemed a precursor to lawsuits.

The complaints are related to federal investigations of Trump conducted by the Justice Department, who was accused of retaining classified documents and obstructing the 2020 election, then charged. The complaints also mention the 2016 investigation of Trump’s first presidential campaign and whether it worked with Russia to influence that year’s election.

The complaints allege that the DOJ violated Trump’s rights and privacy by searching his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, and committed malicious prosecution. One claim accuses the government of “harassment” intended to sway the 2024 election.

“This malicious prosecution led President Trump to spend tens of millions of dollars defending the case and his reputation,” it reads.

Justice Department policy says that any approval of such a multi-million-dollar settlement–which is paid for by American taxpayers–must be approved by senior administration officials, all of whom have been appointed by President Trump.

The potential for Trump to receive a $230 million settlement from the government he runs and approved by the officials he handpicked for office presents glaring ethical concerns.

“He is finding every which way to milk the government, and the DOJ will let him because they are run by [U.S. Attorney General] Pam Bondi. He hired her to be a yes man,” said Yemisi Egbewole, a former White House aide during the Biden administration, told theGrio.

In July, Bondi ironically fired the DOJ’s top ethics chief, who advised her, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blance, and FBI Director Kash Patel on conflicts of interest, financial disclosures, and recusals. 

“Trump was prosecuted because he tried to overturn a free and fair election, and because he retained highly classified documents, lied about, and obstructed efforts to ensure their return. Now — in one of the most blatant acts of greed and corruption in a generation — he’s trying to rewrite history and turn his own illegal actions into a payday,” said Anthony Coley, a political analyst and former DOJ official during the Biden administration.

He added, “It’s disgusting. He’s trying to line his pockets even while the government is shutdown because Republicans won’t extend healthcare premium credits for millions of Americans who rely on Affordable Care Act for health insurance. Trump is in it for himself — always has been and always will be.”

Last week, while in the Oval Office with Bondi, Blance, and Patel, Trump hinted at the upcoming conflict of interest.

“I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became President, I said, ‘I’m suing myself. I don’t know. How do you settle the lawsuit?’ I’ll say, ‘Give me X dollars,’ and I don’t know what to do with the lawsuit. It’s a great lawsuit and now I won, it looks bad,” Trump told reporters.

“I’m suing myself, so I don’t know. But that was a lawsuit that was a very strong, very powerful. They raided illegally my house in Florida, Mar-a-Lago. They went through the drawers of my young son. They went through all of the cabinets and drawers of the first lady.”

Since returning to the White House, Trump and his family business have made a fortune in cryptocurrency, real estate, and other ventures. This year, Trump’s net worth has ballooned by $3 billion, according to estimates analyzed by Forbes.