More than a year has passed since the last presidential election, and the Republican Party is still paying Donald Trump’s lawyer bills.
Much to the displeasure of a number of powerful GOP donors who do not want their money to go, for example, to protect Trump’s New York businesses that have become the objects of criminal and civil investigations. The latter have nothing to do with the election campaigns or Trump’s presidency, they belong to the period preceding his move to the White House, and only reflect the 45th president’s continued huge influence on the party asset. Donors are also infuriated by the senseless, from their point of view, continued throwing away of money to challenge the results of the 2020 elections.
The generosity of the GOP is all the more strange given that millions of dollars have piled up in the private funds of Trump’s political supporters. Moreover, the very fact of the inexhaustible financial support provided to Trump calls into question the declarations of the National Committee of the Republican Party that he does not and cannot have a favorite before the start of the 2023-2024 primaries season.
In October and November, the corresponding expenses of the National Committee amounted to $720,000, in September they reached $2.28 million, which is a considerable item of party expenses. This is in stark contrast to the DNC’s attorney fees, which are now virtually nil. Forcing an opponent to spend limited funds on goals that are not directly related to elections is a tried and tested trick of American partisan struggle.
On the other hand, it is thanks to Trump that the “elephants” are seriously engaged in the fight against electoral practices that play into the hands of the “donkeys”.
The GOP loyally paid the legal bills of both Trump himself and his associates, from the investigation by Special Counsel Mueller to the impeachment in response to the events of January 6th. Before Trump left the White House, according to ABC News, he told the GOP leadership that he was leaving their ranks and creating his own party. In response, he was told that the National Committee would then stop paying his lawyers, and Trump changed his mind. Both Trump and the party establishment dismiss the ABC story as fiction.
The parties also had disagreements over the use of Trump’s name in fundraising campaigns, according to ABC. To date, disputes on this issue have been settled.
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