Trump’s demand that the Justice Department pay him more than $200 million “is a clear attempt to take money from American taxpayers”

In response to the news that President Donald Trump is demanding more than $200 million in compensation from the U.S. Department of Justice for the federal investigations into him, Issue One Vice President of Advocacy Alix Fraser offered the following statement:

“President Donald Trump’s demand that the Justice Department pay him more than $200 million is a clear attempt to take money from American taxpayers to personally enrich himself. This is what corruption looks like. In any other context, there would be accountability for stealing directly from the constituents who elected him to office.

“This latest move continues a disturbing trend of President Trump undermining the independence of the Justice Department — an institution charged with upholding the rule of law and protecting our democracy — and a trend of using elected office for personal gain.

“For nearly 250 years, the United States of America has strived to hold itself to the highest democratic standards — where the government serves the people, not just wealthy individuals or special interests. Americans have come together time and time again to root out corruption and strengthen accountability. Congress must now do the same: rein in presidential abuses of power and pass long-overdue anti-corruption reforms that would restore transparency, integrity, and trust in our government.”

Background

During his second administration, President Trump has made a habit of using legal actions against his perceived political enemies to attempt to enrich himself. As Issue One’s recently-released update to our Corruption Chronicles details, the president froze funding to nine universities to get them to pay $5.6 billion in settlements to him. He has also more broadly enriched himself and his political allies by siphoning money to his family through cryptocurrency and super PACs funded by Big Tech.