(NPR) "Of all the ways President Trump has pushed the boundaries of executive power, one stands out to lawyers and watchdogs."
"The president wants the government he leads to pay him billions of dollars."
"Trump has filed multiple claims arguing he's been hurt by Justice Department investigations and the leak of his tax returns years ago. Now it's up to his own political appointees to determine whether to settle with their boss — and for how much taxpayer money."
" 'There is a glaring conflict of interest with Trump being on both sides of the claim,' said Edward Whelan, a former lawyer at the Justice Department and a political conservative who once clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia. 'It is outrageous that he and those answering to him would be deciding how the government responds to these extravagant claims.' "
"Typically, the Justice Department would fight claims in court and defend the work of its career prosecutors and FBI agents. And in this case, they would have strong legal defenses. After all, a federal judge approved the search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago property — finding probable cause."
"Given how much money is at stake, people at the top of the Justice Department would make the final call. And that adds another complication."
"Attorney General Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche, her deputy, both used to work as Trump's personal attorneys. The third-in-command at Justice, Stanley Woodward, represented Trump's valet, who was charged as an alleged co-conspirator in the Mar-a-Lago case."
" 'The fear that many have is that the Department of Justice will simply fold and ask Donald Trump the individual how much money Donald Trump's administration should funnel to him,' said Whelan, the former DOJ lawyer."
Article at link:
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/18/nx-s1-5702503/trump-government-lawsuits-pay-himself-billions
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