You have to hand it to Trump’s new lawyer, Chris Kise. He had the sense to get his money up front, because after all is said and done, nobody is going to get paid from what will be the smoking ruins of Trump world. Kise used to be Florida’s Solicitor General. He is now taking on the role of all the king’s horses and all the king’s men who will attempt to put Trumpty Dumpty back together again — or, at least keep him out of the House of Many Doors.
Intriguingly, the $3 million payment itself is the source of scrutiny, because Trump’s finances are less than, shall we say, transparent? Politico:
It’s unclear if the sum paid by Save America PAC is going directly to Kise or if it has been placed in an account that Kise will bill as he works for Trump. Kise left the firm Foley and Lardner and set up his own firm, Chris Kise & Associates, in order to take Trump as a client. Save America made the payment as he was going through that complex process, so it’s unclear if the payment went to a financial vehicle controlled by his brand new firm or one controlled by another entity. […]
Save America itself is facing scrutiny from the Justice Department. Last week, numerous grand jury subpoenas asked people in Trump world about the PAC’s fundraising and spending activities. The language in those subpoenas was broad, according to reports, and also asked witnesses for information about a host of people linked to Trump’s efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential contest. […]
Since its launch, Save America PAC has brought in more than $135 million. And its work has become a focus of the Jan. 6 select committee. In the panel’s second public hearing, as NPR detailed, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) noted that Trump urged donors to support an “Official Election Defense Fund.” She said the committee learned that the fund did not exist, and that instead much of the money Trump raised in the wake of the election went to Save America.
Two organizations helmed by former top Trump White House aides have received checks for $1 million from Save America, according to the Jan. 6 committee. Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows heads one of the groups, and former White House aide Brooke Rollins is the president and CEO of the other. The PAC also paid $5 million to the company that ran Trump’s rally on the morning of Jan. 6, according to the committee].
“Throughout the committee’s investigation, we found evidence that the Trump campaign and its surrogates misled donors as to where their funds would go and what they would be used for,” Lofgren said at the committee’s second hearing. “So not only was there the Big Lie, there was the Big Rip-off.”
Indeed there was a big ripoff and that is why Trump went ballistics when the Lincoln Project recorded a one minute ad on that topic, calling them “perverts” and threatening legal action.
At least the MAGAs will know that $3 million of their hard earned cash did go to defend their idol and savior. As to the other $132 million and where it went, maybe we’ll find out. And maybe not.
I wonder if this lawyer will be able to get Trump to shut up? Just this morning, Trump made a stupid admission that he shouldn’t have.
Big error by Trump. His words could be used against him if he is charged.
Staking out the position that he “declassified” everything he brought to Mar-a-Lago may sound like it helps him, but actually it locks him into a story and makes it harder to pivot later if he is charged. https://t.co/ryYM1JhVzQ
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) September 15, 2022
Trump hired this guy none too soon. Let’s see if this lawyer can control him. Maybe Trump is scared enough now to take direction from somebody. We’re going to find out.
Trump seems to think Save America is synonymous with Save Trump. At least that is how the money seems to work.
Cherl, Trump truly believes everything is synonymous with himself. It’s a basic tenet of Narcissism. And all the Trump/Rightwing branding is similar: all about saving their version of America from those Satanic Dems and the Socialism they embody. It’s a shallow, phony, hypocritical America but it’s all the GOP has.
If I were that attorney I’d need all the money verifiably in my firm’s account, or if paid in cash, run the bills by the feds to be sure they aren’t counterfeit. In dealing with low level mobsters you can never be sure.
I guess the horse went up a mil Since trumps last fraud case last week
J. Cheever Loophole* would stand a better chance of defending Trump than this guy.
*(Groucho Marx in “At the Circus”)