Republican National Committee agrees to pay some of Trump's legal bills

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

The Republican National Committee has helped pay for some of former President Donald Trump's legal bills, and the party says it is "entirely appropriate" to assist him.

In October, the RNC paid the law firm of Ronald Fischetti $121,670, with Federal Election Commission records showing the money came from the RNC's general account. Trump hired Fischetti in April, and he has represented Trump amid investigations by the Manhattan district attorney's office and New York attorney general into the Trump Organization's business dealings. The RNC received the requests for payment early in the summer, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post.

"As a leader of our party, defending President Trump and his record of achievement is critical to the GOP," the RNC said in a statement. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich also released a statement, saying the RNC is "our important partner in advancing America First policies and fighting back against the endless witch hunts."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

As the Post notes, Trump is "a wealthy businessman with dozens of properties" who has "built an independent political operation, which at last count had more than $100 million on hand." During his presidency, the RNC paid for lawyers to represent Trump and Donald Trump Jr. during investigations surrounding the 2016 campaign. A person familiar with the matter told the Post the RNC was open to paying Fischetti because of comments New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) made in 2018, when she stated her intent to shine "a bright light into every dark corner of [Trump's] real estate dealings." James has said her investigation is not politically motivated and follows the law.

Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.