In the face of escalating legal challenges, Donald Trump’s leadership Political Action Committee (PAC), Save America, disbursed over $2.9 million to law firms in the past month, according to a recent filing with federal regulators. Additionally, the PAC accrued an extra $1.9 million in unpaid legal bills as of the end of January.
The largest single payment from Save America, exceeding $583,000, was made to the law firm of John Lauro. Lauro is currently representing the former president in the federal election subversion case, a lawsuit initiated by special counsel Jack Smith.
Save America, a PAC established with funds Trump raised following his 2020 election defeat, has primarily been used to cover legal expenses for Trump and some witnesses involved in the cases related to him. In the previous year alone, Save America expended more than $55 million on legal fees, which constituted nearly 85% of its total spending.
Trump’s political operation has allocated 10% of the funds it raises online from his political supporters to Save America. Trump, who is currently leading the race for the GOP presidential nomination, is facing 91 criminal indictments across four jurisdictions. He also owes hundreds of millions of dollars in legal penalties due to two judgments in civil cases. Despite these challenges, Trump has pledged to appeal.
The former president, who has unfoundedly portrayed the legal cases as part of a broad political witch hunt, suggested on Tuesday that he is being politically persecuted in a manner similar to Alexey Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who tragically passed away in a Russian prison last week.
During a Fox News town hall on Tuesday night, when asked about how he plans to pay the nearly $355 million (excluding interest) that he and his companies were ordered to pay in his New York civil fraud trial, Trump responded, “It is a form of Navalny, it is a form of communism or fascism.”
Contributions to this story were made by CNN’s Alex Leeds Matthews and Kate Sullivan.