Trump said to demand DOJ pay him $230 mln for past cases: NYT
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Trump seeks $230 million from the DOJ over past federal investigations, triggering unprecedented ethics questions as his former lawyers now oversee the department.
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US President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event to welcome the 2025 LSU and LSU-Shreveport national champion baseball teams in the East Room of the White House, on October 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US President Donald Trump has filed administrative claims demanding roughly $230 million in compensation from the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging that federal investigations into him caused significant harm. According to people familiar with the matter, these claims are now under internal review by DOJ officials, many of whom have longstanding ties to the president or his associates.
The move marks an unprecedented moment in US legal and political history: a sitting president seeking financial redress from the very department he oversees, for investigations conducted before and during his presidency.
Trump's legal team submitted two separate claims through the DOJ’s administrative process, often a precursor to formal lawsuits. The first, filed in late 2023, seeks damages related to the FBI and special counsel investigations into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential connections to Trump’s campaign.
The second claim, submitted in mid-2024, accuses the FBI of violating Trump’s privacy during its 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents. It also alleges malicious prosecution by the DOJ for charging him with mishandling sensitive records after leaving office.
According to the complaint, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Special Counsel Jack Smith engaged in “harassment” intended to influence electoral outcomes. The filing claims Trump was forced to spend tens of millions of dollars defending himself and protecting his reputation.
Trump lawyers overseeing DOJ review
The Trump administration's claims against the DOJ are now being handled by individuals with deep personal or professional ties to the president. The department’s current deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, previously served as Trump’s lead criminal defense lawyer. He confirmed during his February confirmation hearing that he still maintains an attorney-client relationship with the president.
Stanley Woodward Jr., now overseeing the DOJ’s civil division, represented Walt Nauta, Trump’s co-defendant in the classified documents case, and has also represented multiple Trump associates in other federal investigations.
According to DOJ protocols, any settlement exceeding $4 million must be approved by the deputy or associate attorney general. In this case, Blanche would be one of the key figures authorized to sign off on such a decision.
The overlapping roles of Trump's former defense team and the current DOJ leadership have drawn sharp criticism from legal ethicists. “What a travesty,” said Bennett L. Gershman, an ethics professor at Pace University. “And then to have people in the Justice Department decide whether his claim should be successful or not... It’s bizarre and almost too outlandish to believe.”
Trump appeared to acknowledge the optics of the situation last week, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president, I said, I’m sort of suing myself... It sort of looks bad, I’m suing myself, right?” Asked whether he would benefit from the compensation, Trump responded, “I was damaged very greatly and any money I would get, I would give to charity.”
Taxpayers to fund the settlement?
If the DOJ agrees to a settlement, the compensation to Trump, potentially in the hundreds of millions, would be paid with taxpayer funds. Although administrative claims are not technically lawsuits, they are often the first step toward litigation in federal court. In this case, however, litigation appears unlikely as the matter is being negotiated internally with the president’s subordinates.
The DOJ manual does not require public disclosure of settlements related to administrative claims. Current and former officials noted that any payment to Trump may not be announced publicly.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team defended the filings, stating they reflect the president's long-standing view that the investigations were politically motivated and part of a broader effort to weaponize the criminal justice system.
