Donald Trump bragged to a crowd of his supporters on Friday night that he is suing the government and will be rewarding himself $1 billion of taxpayers’ money in damages.
The New York Times reported earlier this year that Trump and his legal team asked the Justice Department to pay him about $230 million to settle two federal damage claims. The claims are relating to the FBI executing a search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago residence in 2022 to recover classified documents and the bureau’s investigation into possible ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia.
This raises the possibility of a conflict of interest since some of the current top Justice Department officials who are settling the claims defended Trump in those cases. But the corruption doesn’t stop there.
Trump told his supporters at a rally in North Carolina on Friday that he will ultimately decide whether he receives the money, which could be up to $1 billion dollars.
“We have all the evidence,” Trump told the crowd in Rocky Mount. “And we have to do something about it. We have to do something about it. It’s illegal and disgusting.”
“You know, I brought a lawsuit, and I’m winning the lawsuit. There’s only one problem. I’m the one who has to settle it,” he said. “In other words, I am suing, and I’m the one that’s supposed to settle it.”
He bragged that “there’s never been a case like this.”
“Donald Trump sues the United States of America. Donald Trump becomes president. And now Donald Trump has to settle the suit. I hereby give myself $1 billion,” he continued. “Actually, maybe I shouldn’t give it to charity. Maybe I should keep the money. No? A lot of people say do it. I don’t wanna do it. But whatever happens, it’s all going to good charities.”
