Trump threatens to sue reporters who revealed that he's paying witnesses
Former President Donald Trump's legal team is threatening litigation against the nonprofit investigative outlet ProPublica, for a story published at the start of this month alleging his business and campaign are paying "significant financial benefits" to witnesses in cases against him.
ProPublica revealed the threat against them in a post on X Wednesday.
"Trump’s attorney sent ProPublica a cease-and-desist letter demanding this article not be published. It warned that if the outlet and its reporters 'continue their reckless campaign of defamation, President Trump will evaluate all legal remedies,'" stated the post.
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The original article in question detailed how nine witnesses in criminal cases against Trump have stood to gain financially from various arrangements with his campaign and business entities.
"The benefits have flowed from Trump’s businesses and campaign committees, according to a ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, court records and securities filings," stated that report, written by Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski. "One campaign aide had his average monthly pay double, from $26,000 to $53,500. Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top officials had her daughter hired onto the campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee."
Trump is currently facing three active criminal cases: election conspiracy cases in Washington, D.C. and Georgia, and a case alleging the theft and concealment of highly classified national defense information at his Mar-a-Lago country club in Florida. All three cases are varying degrees of unlikely to be heard before the election.
A fourth case, concerning the falsification of business records in a hush payment scheme in New York, went to trial last month and ended with Trump convicted of 34 felony charges. Sentencing in that case will take place on July 11, and Trump is expected to appeal after the sentence is issued.