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[Tovarisc]

President Donald Trump appears to have used more than half a million dollars in campaign funds to pay legal fees over the last three months, new campaign filings show.

President Donald Trump appears to have used more than half a million dollars in campaign funds to pay legal fees over the last three months, new campaign filings show.

The spending included $50,000 in legal expenses to lawyer Alan Futerfas, who is now representing Donald Trump Jr., on June 27th.

Trump disclosed $677,826 million in payments described in filings as “legal consulting” between April and June of 2017 – a significant chunk of the $4.37 million his campaign spent overall – as the number and velocity of investigations into potential Russian interference in the 2016 election increased.

The campaign spent significantly more in this area during the late spring and summer than during the first three months of the year, when it reported paying $249,344 on legal expenses. Trump has spent more than $4.5 million of campaign funds on legal costs since the beginning of his campaign.

Trump’s campaign reported paying $538,265 in the last three months to Jones Day, the campaign’s law firm, up from $190,306 in the first quarter of 2017.

Trump’s campaign and two affiliated joint fundraising committees disclosed raising $13.9 million on Saturday.

So long as Trump is only paying expenses incurred from the parts of the investigation related to his campaign, it’s legal for the president to use his campaign donations to pay legal expenses or the legal expenses for Trump Jr., said Larry Noble, senior director at the Campaign Legal Center.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/15/trump-campaign-paid-jr-attorney-240592

Bill me if old

 

[monchi-kun]

His base will argue that he's entitled to that money

 

[Pattycakes]

50,000?

That seems reasonable

 

[SparkleMotion]

His base will argue that he's entitled to that money

His base can go jump in a river.

 

[xxracerxx]

He's just a kid. How is he supposed to afford legal fees?

 

[kitsunelaine]

I think you missed an 0 in the title. Mods?

 

[Tovarisc]

I think you missed an 0 in the title. Mods?

Um?

 

[skullmuffins]

I think you missed an 0 in the title. Mods?

$50,000 to Don Jr.'s attorney and over $500,000 in total legal expenses

Also:

Marshall Cohen‏
@Marshall_Cohen

It's true: The Trump campaign paid $50,000 to Don Jr.'s lawyer ONE DAY after CNN first asked the White House about the Trump Tower meeting.

They're still pretending Trump himself only learned about this meeting a couple of days ago?

 

[kitsunelaine]

He's just a kid. How is he supposed to afford legal fees?

Spoiler

by not committing treason

 

[Syriel]

I think you missed an 0 in the title. Mods?

Title is accurate if you read the story quoted in the OP.

 

[kitsunelaine]

$50,000 to Don Jr.'s attorney and over $500,000 in total legal expenses

Oh, okay. I misread the OP then.

 

[Wilsongt]

He's the president. He's allowed. How much money did Obama waste? Did you hear that Hillary colluded with the Ukraine?

 

[Mr. X]

Is this an ethics issue or illegal?

Who am I kidding, it's going to be both in the end.

 

[Syriel]

Is this an ethics issue or illegal?

As reported, no. At least the spending part isn't yet.

Any ethics issues/illegal things would be in the underlying issues that necessitated spending money on lawyers.

 

[Dan]

The spending included $50,000 in legal expenses to lawyer Alan Futerfas, who is now representing Donald Trump Jr., on June 27th.

This was one day after CNN first asked the White House for a comment on the Donald Trump Jr meeting.

 

[BlastProcessing]

Is this an ethics issue or illegal?

Who am I kidding, it's going to be both in the end.

It's not illegal, but Politico buried the lede here.

The Trump campaign made the payment to Futerfas two weeks before The New York Times reported an exchange between Trump Jr. and a Russian official about arranging a meeting to discuss damaging research on the Clinton campaign. Futerfas’ involvement was first reported by Reuters on July 10th.

This completely obliterates the White House's timeline (again).

 

[devilhawk]

Is this an ethics issue or illegal?

It seems like it is ok? I think it is more about how his campaign funds will be spent on legal fees as opposed to being devoted to any sort of reelection use, which isn't exactly what you want to be devoting your funds toward.

 

[monchi-kun]

His base can go jump in a river.

Jr. could set up a gofundme and that base will donate, all the base belong to Trump

 

[Wanda/Wander]

These people are like the most basic of grifters. I'll be surprised if the family doesn't steal all of the White House silverware on Trump's way out.

 

[The Pet of the Month]

These people are like the most basic of grifters. I'll be surprised if the family doesn't steal all of the White House silverware on his way out.

They also reach for the complimentary butter and take as much as they can.

Spoiler

Slightly guilty of this myself.

 

[ebullientprism]

There will literally be no standards left in American politics by the time Trump leaves.

There werent much to start with but at least there were some.

 

[Valhelm]

There will literally be no standards left in American politics by the time Trump leaves.

There werent much to start with but at least there were some.

Let's just use this nightmare as an excuse to replace the presidency with something more accountable

 

[Wanda/Wander]

Let's just use this nightmare as an excuse to replace the presidency with something more accountable

An A.I. cluster with a Goldman Sachs CEO's consciousness scanned on to it?

 

[Snaku]

Let's just use this nightmare as an excuse to replace the presidency with something more accountable

Nothing wrong with the office itself, but that electoral college...their whole reason for existing is to make sure this shit doesn't happen. They've gotta go.

 

[Nazgul_Hunter]

Is this an ethics issue or illegal?

Who am I kidding, it's going to be both in the end.

It makes it harder to buy the story trump didn’t know anything about it.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Now wonder he has so many rallies, he can't keep up with his legal fees. Sad.

 

[theWB27]

This is money from his base correct?

 

[WordAssassin]

Let's just use this nightmare as an excuse to replace the presidency with something more accountable

I don't know if this is the proper place to ask, but what else is there? Democracy seemed to work for a while but I think it's painfully clear our system is now broken as fuck. Do we just need to "reboot" the parties, and is such a thing even feasible or possible? Or should we just get rid of democracy in general and try something else - and if so, what?

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

For the bargain price of $100,000, I am ready to give Don Jr. my professional advice: stop tweeting, fuckface.

 

[Mike M]

I don't know if this is the proper place to ask, but what else is there? Democracy seemed to work for a while but I think it's painfully clear our system is now broken as fuck. Do we just need to "reboot" the parties, and is such a thing even feasible or possible? Or should we just get rid of democracy in general and try something else - and if so, what?

Parilmentary system would be a start, but would literally never happen for no reason more than a huge chunk of the country viewing it as inferior because that's how most of the rest of the western works operates and America is better by default.

 

[navii]

Trump disclosed $677,826 million in payments described in filings as “legal consulting” between April and June of 2017 – a significant chunk of the $4.37 million his campaign spent overall – as the number and velocity of investigations into potential Russian interference in the 2016 election increased.

i just woke up and question my understanding... but isnt $4.37m a rather insignificant amount in comparison to $677,826m?

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

LOL weren't they asking for donations and giving out loot crates just weeks/months ago


American Idiots got scammed hard. Dude has buildings with his name on it and he used their money to pay his sons legal fees.

I wish I could scam my country's idiots this hard ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[Wanda/Wander]

How many days until we have an official White House Patreon?

 

[JORMBO]

Is this an ethics issue or illegal?

Who am I kidding, it's going to be both in the end.

The article says it is legal.

 

[skullmuffins]

i just woke up and question my understanding... but isnt $4.37m a rather insignificant amount in comparison to $677,826m?

$677,826 million in legal expenses.... they really are creating jobs for America's lawyers.
(It's a typo, "million" isn't supposed to be there. About 15% of campaign expenditures are going towards legal stuff.)

 

[Shadow Puppetry]

Here I thought he was self funded.

 

[WordAssassin]

Parilmentary system would be a start, but would literally never happen for no reason more than a huge chunk of the country viewing it as inferior because that's how most of the rest of the western works operates and America is better by default.

How does a country just... switch how it's run? Are there any examples, recent or otherwise? I mean, I can imagine an overthrow, where someone comes in and kills the president and goes "this is how it's gonna be now" like a hostile takeover of the government, but is there a more... civilized way that it happens? Or does it really only happen when things have just completely gone to shit?

How many days until we have an official White House Patreon?

We kind of already do, did you miss this?

Monthly subscription boxes.

 

[JORMBO]

Here I thought he was self funded.

His campaign has always been raising money like any other political campaign. He has put some of his own money into it also (so he claims).

 

[III-V]

$4.5 million to protect this criminal. Better than using this cash for attack ads I suppose.

 

[Annubis]

Let's just use this nightmare as an excuse to replace the presidency with something more accountable

 

[Maiden Voyage]

This came up when Pence hired his lawyer. Via CNN:

"The Commission decides on a case-by-case basis whether legal expenses are considered 'personal use' and thus are expenses that a candidate may not pay for using campaign funds," FEC guidelines read. "In several advisory opinions the Commission has said that campaign funds may be used to pay for up to 100% of legal expenses related to campaign or officeholder activity, where such expenses would not have occurred had the individual not been a candidate or officeholder."

 

[Shadow Puppetry]

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Thank you to former campaign adviser Michael Caputo for saying so powerfully that there was no Russian collusion in our winning campaign

You heard the man, if Caputo says there was no collusion then Jr is innocent.

 

[rokkerkory]

Congrats everyone that voted for this fraud

 

[L Thammy]

This is just being sensible. You can't campaign if you're in jail.

 

[Steejee]

Well if his former campaign advisor says there was no collusion I guess I have to believe them!

 

[GeoGonzo]

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Thank you to former campaign adviser Michael Caputo for saying so powerfully that there was no Russian collusion in our winning campaign

You heard the man, if Caputo says there was no collusion then Jr is innocent.

Maybe just like there’s a hall of fame of people who get insulted by Trump on twitter someone should start a wall of shame of those who get praised.

 

[smurfx]

good lets keep him spending all his money on legal fees rather than him using it for his re-election campaign.

 

[Imperfected]

I'm not sure that it's illegal or even necessarily unethical, but it is hilariously cheap for a guy who claims to be a very successful billionaire.

I'd think if I had a billion dollars on-hand I could at least afford 50k to avoid scrutiny.

 

[Dude Abides]

Which campaign? Trump 2016 or Trump 2020?

 

[Bigboss242]

He's the president. He's allowed. How much money did Obama waste? Did you hear that Hillary colluded with the Ukraine?

I don't want to use my brain today!!!