Trump campaign is fundraising off of new indictment as reports reveal pro-Trump PAC is doling out millions for legal bills
Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images
- Former President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday in connection to the January 6 insurrection.
- Following his third indictment, Trump is asking supporters to donate to his Joint Action Committee.
- A small percentage of these donations are diverted to his PAC, which is covering his mounting legal bills.
Former President Donald Trump is trying to cash in on his third indictment by offering shirts that say "I Stand with Trump" in exchange for $47 donations to his Trump Save America Joint Action Committee.
This comes after the news that the Save America PAC — which collects 10% of donations made to Trump Save America, according to an email sent to supporters — is losing tens of millions to cover Trump's lengthy list of legal battles. The Washington Post reported that the campaign PAC spent $40 million in 2023 alone on his legal defense, eclipsing all other expenses the PAC has incurred.
The PAC needed to request a refund on a $60 million contribution it made to another PAC, a likely sign that money is tight, The New York Times reported.
In his fundraising request, Trump asks his followers to make a donation in order to "help peacefully DEFEND our movement from the never-ending witch hunts," a term Trump uses often to refer to his legal woes.
—Steve Sebelius (@SteveSebelius) August 1, 2023
Trump was indicted Tuesday in relation to the former president's actions around the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and apparent attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
The indictment on Tuesday marks the third indictment for the former president in 2023, at a time when he is leading the pack of GOP hopefuls for the 2024 presidential race.
In the unsealed 45-page indictment, federal prosecutors alleged that Trump broke several federal laws, by obstructing an official proceeding where Congress would certify Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, and by engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the government.
The wide-ranging charges include six co-conspirators, and were brought by a Justice Department team led by special counsel Jack Smith,
Trump used his influence to try to overturn election results at the state level with "fake electors," prosecutors said, while he and his co-conspirators coordinated a pressure campaign on Vice President Mike Pence to block the election's certification at the Capitol.
The former president then used the delay in the certification process caused by the January 6 riot to recruit more GOP lawmakers for his efforts, per the indictment.
Trump has denied the charges and claimed his indictment was one of many "witch hunts" from the Department of Justice to impede his 2024 presidential run.
A representative for Donald Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.