It’s easier to be rich if you never pay for anything. Donald Trump Sr. has certainly demonstrated this skill over and over as he’s tapped a “charity” paid for by others to pay his own legal bills and set up a re-election fund on the day he sat down at the desk to provide an ever growing slush fund.
President Trump is the first American president to use committee funds to cover the costs of a criminal probe, Reuters, which first reported the payments, noted.
As for Trump Jr, Mother Jones says his bills are being paid for by the Republican National Committee. Which may not be legal.
The RNC acknowledged Tuesday that it paid more than $230,000 in August for President Trump’s legal expenses and nearly $200,000 to Donald Trump Jr.’s lawyers. The bills resulted from investigations into whether the Trump campaign helped Russia interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
That could make it seem as if poor Trump Jr was a victim of simply being too close to his dad. That is, if he hadn’t enthusiastically offered to host a meeting in Trump Tower between top officials of the Trump campaign and representatives of the Russian government offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton as part of an acknowledge ongoing effort to help Donald Trump.
In light of his level of involvement, it seems more than reasonable that Trump Jr should be running up some legal bills. And completely unclear why the Republican Party should be picking up the tab.
The RNC’s own lawyers conducted an analysis that determined its payments to President Trump’s lawyers are lawful, and are considering whether the organization can pay legal bills of White House staffers, The Washington Post reported. The committee did not respond to queries regarding whether the RNC’s lawyers also looked into the legality of payments to Trump Jr.’s lawyers.
Well if the Republican Party says it’s okay to spend the donations given them for elections on paying lawyers. Or lawyers for lawyers. Democrats shouldn’t be too upset. After all, every dollar that goes to Ty Cobb’s mustache wax isn’t available for a Senate race in a tough state. It’s also go to be thrilling to rank and file Republicans to see their dollars going to help poor, underprivileged Donald Trump Jr.
For Trump, the RNC has justified payments under a 2014 law that allows covering campaign legal expenses. But …
Paying Trump Jr.’s fees is harder to justify under FEC rules because the president’s son has never been a party employee. “It’s a stretch,” said Brett Kappel, a campaign finance lawyer with Ackerman LLP.
Still … go for it RNC. Pay more. Even more. Pay for Manafort. Pay for Flynn. Keep a stack aside for Sessions, because you know it’s coming.
Because, going into 2018, there can be nothing more important than keeping Donald Trump from having to spend any of his own money.