Investigations Launched into Trump Admin.'s Approval of Taxpayer Money for Trump Allies
Trump himself is pursuing a taxpayer-funded award
A series of investigations are underway into how the Trump Administration is doling out taxpayer money to Trump himself, his friends and his supporters.
Some of the payouts are coming in the form of “settlements” of federal civil lawsuits filed by Trump allies. The settlements were approved by the Trump Administration itself.
In a third case, the President has filed for damages on behalf of himself, as remuneration for the two criminal prosecutions of Trump. Prior reports said Trump was seeking as much $230 million in damages.
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Each instance has drawn scrutiny from Congress, watchdog groups and some former January 6 investigators.
This week, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee launched a probe of one of the payouts. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who serves as the committee’s ranking member, has sent an inquiry to the Justice Department seeking answers about a recently-approved settlement to longtime MAGA ally Michael Flynn. According to reports, Flynn has settled a civil lawsuit against the federal government for more than $1.2 million.
Raskin’s inquiry said, “The American people are watching this Department squander their tax dollars, handing over giant sums to the President’s friends for claims that multiple federal judges have rejected as having no legal merit. The American people deserve a full accounting of why our tax dollars are being used that way.”
Flynn pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI, but was pardoned by Trump during the President’s first term. According to the committee’s inquiry, “Mr. Flynn decided to go on offense against the government. In 2023, he filed a complaint in the Middle District of Florida seeking $50 million in damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), alleging that he had been the victim of a ‘malicious prosecution’ for making false statements to the FBI.”
Though the case had been dismissed, the Administration settled with Flynn, when the former Trump aide refiled an amended complaint. Raskin’s inquiry said, “Suddenly, the Department decided to give Mr. Flynn $1.25 million—to settle a case it had already won.”
The committee’s Democrats are seeking a series of records from the Administration, including “All internal DOJ memoranda, legal analyses, or recommendations concerning the legal merits of Mr. Flynn’s FTCA claims.” The panel’s Democrats have set a deadline of April 20, but they do not have subpoena power.
A Justice Department spokesperson told me, “Those who instigated the Russia Collusion Hoax and Crossfire Hurricane abused their power to mislead the American people and tarnish the reputations of President Trump and his supporters. This settlement, secured by this Justice Department, is an important step in redressing that historic injustice. This Department of Justice will continue to pursue accountability at all levels for this wrongdoing. Such weaponization of the federal government must never be allowed to happen again.”
There is a separate review underway into Trump’s request for damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which was passed in the 1940’s to compensate people who have suffered personal injury, death, or property loss or damage caused by the negligent or wrongful act.
According to multiple reports, Trump has made a $230 million claim under the act, citing his criminal prosecutions as a wrongful act. But the progress of his efforts is unclear. In a new federal Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington is seek a court order for records on the matter.
The 11-page civil complaint from the group noted how Trump himself can control his own payout. The complaint said, “President Trump, in his role as chief executive of the United States, now oversees the DOJ and has appointed its senior leadership, including the individuals charged with reviewing and potentially approving the president’s administrative claims.”
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.291166/gov.uscourts.dcd.291166.1.0.pdf
Among the records the group is seeking is ”Any document memorializing an award, compromise, or settlement, made pursuant to (the law), on any FTCA claim submitted by or on behalf of President Trump, including records sufficient to identify the amount of any payment.”
Trump’s attempt to get taxpayer money has outraged U.S. Senate Democrats, who have introduced legislation attempting to block his award. Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said in a statement in November, “President Trump’s claims pose substantial and concerning ethical challenges due to the unprecedented nature of his demands. Any settlement claims to the DOJ for more than $4 million must be approved by Todd Blanche or Stanley Woodward – both of whom have personally represented President Trump.”
Democrats are already outraged over the Administration’s decision to settle a federal civil lawsuit with the estate of Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was amid the mob that attempted to breach the US House Speaker’s Lobby on January 6, 2021. Babbitt was shot and killed by an officer, as she was seen crawling through a smashed window into the area from which Members of Congress were evacuating during the Capitol siege.
The settlement was for approximately $5 million.
Babbitt’s estate and plaintiff’s attorneys argued her was unarmed and had her hands in the air when she was shot.
Prior to Trump’s re-election, the Justice Department argued against Babbitt’s estate’s claim and said “Babbitt unlawfully entered the Capitol. She made her way to the east doors of the Speaker’s Lobby situated immediately behind the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives, the site of Joint Sessions of Congress. Although officers had barricaded the Speaker’s Lobby doors with heavy furniture, demonstrators broke through the glass panels of the lobby doors and matching windows (called “sidelights”) on either side of the doors.”
Within months of Trump assuming control of the Justice Department, the agency’s position abruptly changed and the lawsuit was settled.
Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department attorney and Janaury 6th prosecutor, said the settlement for a Trump ally sends a dangerous message. Ballou said, “This settlement is so galling because the President so emphatically refuses to recognize the sacrifices of the hundreds of officers who defended the Capitol that day, many of whom were injured, and some of whom died. This is part of an ongoing effort to rewrite the history of January 6 because the President knows that if he can get Americans to forget--or worse yet, condone--the attack on the Capitol, he can convince them to accept any attack on democracy.”
I want damages paid to me and all the taxpayers who’ve had to suffer through this incompetent administration.
What about the fines forgiven when he pardoned all his cronies?