Overview
- Trump has filed administrative claims since 2023 seeking roughly $230 million over the 2016 Russia investigation and the FBI’s 2022 Mar-a-Lago search, and the Justice Department has not announced any resolution.
- An August 2024 claim reviewed by the Associated Press seeks compensatory and punitive damages over the Mar-a-Lago search, including about $15 million in legal costs and a $100 million punitive component.
- Under DOJ policy, settlements above $4 million require approval by the deputy or associate attorney general, positions now held by Todd Blanche and Stanley Woodward, both with prior ties to Trump or his aides.
- A DOJ spokesperson said officials follow the guidance of career ethics advisers and declined to say whether Blanche or others would recuse from any decision.
- Trump said the government owes him "a lot of money" and asserted any decision "would have to go across my desk," adding he could donate any payment, while critics warn taxpayers could foot the bill and question the conflict of interest.