REPORT: Trump Promises To Pay Russia-Related Legal Bills For White House Staff And Campaign Associates

Yet another big scoop from Axios:

President Trump has promised to spend at least $430,000 of his own money to defray legal costs incurred by campaign associates and White House staff due to the Russia investigations, a White House official tells Axios.

The Republican National Committee has paid roughly $430,000 to lawyers representing the president and his eldest son, Don Jr. A White House official told me Trump will not be reimbursing the RNC for these costs. However, the White House official says he has pledged to spend the same amount, from his personal finances, “to defray the costs of legal fees for his associates, including former and current White House aides.”

The president and his legal team haven’t announced the mechanism to make these payments. The arrangement raises a number of questions, none of which the White House official answered. The official said: “We’re working on appropriate legal and ethical approval” — and said the president hasn’t ruled out spending more of his own money on these legal fees.

(Tipped by JMG reader BK)