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President Donald Trump said Tuesday the federal government owes him "a lot of money" for prior Justice Department investigations and insisted he would have the final say on any payout because a decision would "have to go across my desk." Claims Seek $230 Million Over Federal Probes As reported by the Associated Press, the comments, delivered to reporters at the White House, followed a New York Times report that Trump filed administrative claims before returning to office seeking roughly $230 million over the FBI's 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents and the earlier probe into potential ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump said he didn't know the dollar figures involved and suggested he hadn't spoken to officials about the claims. "All I know is that they would owe me a lot of money," he said. He also asserted that while the Justice Department has a review protocol, "It's interesting, 'cause I'm the one that makes the decision, right?" Trump Asserts Control Over Any DOJ Payout Trump added that he could donate any taxpayer money or use it to help pay for a new White House ballroom now under construction. See Also: Jim Cramer Warns ‘Don’t Be Fooled’ Because Speculators In Gold, Quantum And Nuclear Energy Aren’t Going Down ‘Without A Fight’ The Times reported that two separate claims seek damages from the DOJ for alleged violations during the Russia investigation and for "intrusion upon seclusion, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process" tied to the classified-documents case. Both claims were filed before Trump won back the White House, the report said. Ethics Reviews And Politics Frame Compensation Push DOJ policies require top-level signoff for large settlements and Trump noted on Tuesday the unusual prospect of overseeing a payout to himself. "In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement to AP. Trump signaled his interest in compensation during a White House appearance last week with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi. The compensation push comes as Trump continues to denounce the investigations as politically motivated. DOJ dropped the Mar-a-Lago criminal case upon Trump's return to office under its policy against indicting a sitting president, but civil and administrative avenues remain available to the government and to claimants. Photo Courtesy: Brian Jason on Shutterstock.com Read Next:
