Donald Trump has said he will personally decide whether his administration should pay him around $230m in damages for past federal investigations, in an unusual circular arrangement that places the president as both claimant and adjudicator.
Speaking at the White House, Mr Trump told reporters that the government owes him “a lot of money” for the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He acknowledged the awkwardness of the situation, saying last week: “I’m suing myself.”
The claims were filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, a 1946 law that normally bars damages arising from discretionary or policy actions. No sitting president has ever sought compensation from the federal government over investigations into their own conduct.
Trump’s allies now occupy senior roles in the justice department that would evaluate the claims, including Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general who previously led Trump’s defence in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, and Stanley Woodward, the associate attorney general who represented Trump’s co-defendant.
One claim, lodged in August 2024, alleges “malicious prosecution” over the Mar-a-Lago search and related charges, which were dropped by special counsel Jack Smith last November. A second claim concerns the Russia investigation that concluded years ago. Trump suggested he might donate any proceeds or use them to fund a ballroom he is building at the White House.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said: “In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.”
