Hope Hicks nearly $500,000 legal fees are being paid by donations to the Republican Party

Former White House communications director Hope Hicks might have been a Democrat in the past, but the Republican Party has forked over nearly $500,000 in legal fees for the longtime aide to President Donald Trump.

If Republican donors are bothered by the stack of scandals lining up for the head of their party, they're likely even less happy about the fact that their large donations are going straight out the door to lawyers for Trump's staff, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

"The RNC's $451,780 payment to Trout Cacheris & Janis adds to the mounting legal fees associated with the investigations by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and several congressional committees of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign," The Post wrote.

Hicks hired Robert Trout in September 2017, and according to Federal Election Commission report filed Sunday, he has continued to be paid for over six months. There are three lawyers in the firm that currently represent people being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller, the firm's site said.

The substantial campaign funds being forked over for Trump Team legal fees prompted some party officials to look at a separate legal defense fund last year. The RNC decided, however, that they could use the party to pay for Trump's legal fees.

The RNC has bragged about out-raising the DNC for several financial quarters, but their democratic counterpart isn't seeing their donations go out the door right away to pay for mounting legal fees.