Imagine, you're now the prez of the US of A. What do you do with such untold power?

First, you'd cancel the criminal charges, that's a given. But something else is bothering you, keeping you up at night. Shouldn't you receive compensation for your pain and suffering?

You think you should. Your lawyers, all of whom now run the DOJ, agree. Best to run it past the DOJ ethics advisor, DL's former lawyer, deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

Pam fired her in July, so DL has the all-clear.

He plans to pardon Todd if there's any problems down the line.

As DL says, it looks a little bit dodgy. And that's okay.

Wouldn't you do exactly the same?



Senior department officials who were defense lawyers for the president and those in his orbit are now in jobs that typically must approve any such payout, underscoring potential ethical conflicts.

President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department pay him about $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him, according to people familiar with the matter, who added that any settlement might ultimately be approved by senior department officials who defended him or those in his orbit.

The situation has no parallel in American history, as Mr. Trump, a presidential candidate, was pursued by federal law enforcement and eventually won the election, taking over the very government that must now review his claims. It is also the starkest example yet of potential ethical conflicts created by installing the president’s former lawyers atop the Justice Department.

Mr. Trump submitted complaints through an administrative claim process that often is the precursor to lawsuits. The first claim, lodged in late 2023, seeks damages for a number of purported violations of his rights, including the F.B.I. and special counsel investigation into Russian election tampering and possible connections to the 2016 Trump campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the claim has not been made public.

The second complaint, filed in the summer of 2024, accuses the F.B.I. of violating Mr. Trump’s privacy by searching Mar-a-Lago, his club and residence in Florida, in 2022 for classified documents. It also accuses the Justice Department of malicious prosecution in charging him with mishandling sensitive records after he left office.

Asked about the issue at the White House after this article published, the president said, “I was damaged very greatly and any money I would get, I would give to charity.”

He added, “I’m the one that makes the decision and that decision would have to go across my desk and it’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself.”

Lawyers said the nature of the president’s legal claims poses undeniable ethics challenges.

“What a travesty,” said Bennett L. Gershman, an ethics professor at Pace University. “The ethical conflict is just so basic and fundamental, you don’t need a law professor to explain it.”

He added: “And then to have people in the Justice Department decide whether his claim should be successful or not, and these are the people who serve him deciding whether he wins or loses. It’s bizarre and almost too outlandish to believe.”

Compensation is typically covered by taxpayers. Two people familiar with the president’s legal claims said that he had not been paid by the federal government but that he expected to be.

A White House spokeswoman referred questions to the Justice Department. Asked if either Mr. Blanche or Mr. Woodward would recuse or have been recused from overseeing the possible settlement with Mr. Trump, a Justice Department spokesman, Chad Gilmartin, said, “In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.”

In July, Ms. Bondi fired the agency’s top ethics adviser.

The Justice Department does not specifically require a public announcement of settlements made for administrative claims before they become lawsuits. If or when the Trump administration pays the president what could be hundreds of millions of dollars, there may be no immediate official declaration that it did so, according to current and former department officials.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/us/politics/trump-justice-department-compensa...

WITCH HUNT !!!

Leroy wrote on Oct 22^nd, 2025 at 11:25pm:


Yes, I imagine those denied chemotherapy under DL's big, beautiful bill will be over there moon.

You?

Quote:



He deserves every penny.

ProudKangaroo wrote on Oct 23^rd, 2025 at 10:30am:


Here's the thing I don't understand. How is a ballroom going to cost $200m to build? Are they building the entire structure with gold? I've seen an architectural depiction of what it will look like and it will dwarf the rest of the White House building. It's a monstrosity and one can easily imagine how horrifyingly gaudy it will be on the inside if Trump's personal residences are anything to go by.

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 23^rd, 2025 at 10:47am:

This is what winning looks like

Armchair_Politician wrote on Oct 23^rd, 2025 at 12:58pm:


Now now, be fair. Aquascoot said exactly the same thing when Sleepy Joe won in 2020.

Now he's won, Joe should help himself to a bit of cash, Aquascoot said, it's only fair. Joe can appoint his own lawyers to run the DOJ if it helps. He can fire the inspectors general.

In fact, why not knock down the East Wing of the White House to build himself a big piggy bank? 

First Lady Dr Jill will understand.

He won, no?