Trump lawyers 'gamble' as campaign cash funds legal fees: expert

Donald Trump's "overpaid" attorneys are gambling their reputations can survive defending a former president who is channeling campaign cash into their coffers, wrote lawyer and MSNBC analyst Katie Phang.

Phang took a close look Monday at reports that Trump's PACs spent roughly 25 percent of their $210 million outlays on legal bills as the former president faces four criminal and two civil court cases and a high-stakes presidential campaign.

She notes Trump is represented by a team of lawyers taking a big risk for a big fee.

"Those lawyers who are willing, in some cases, to gamble their professional reputations and credibility to take on Trump’s defense don’t come cheap," Phang writes, "even if the value and quality of their skills and competency are sometimes questioned."

Alina Habba, for example, who presided over Trump's $83.3 million legal loss in the E. Jean Carroll defamation suit and frequently clashed with Judge Lewis Kaplan, got nearly $4 million for her services. And Chris Kise, who is Trump's counsel in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, has been paid $5 million. Ultimately, 47 attorneys and law firms were paid by Trump's Save America PAC in 2023.

In theory, there are laws that would actually prohibit Trump from spending political donations on his legal defense, wrote Phang — but in practice, there is a lot of gray area.

"In Trump’s case ... he alleges that they are not personal expenses and are instead related to or involving his political candidacy and/or his former job as the president, he claims that he is allowed to use the leadership PACs to cover his legal expenses."

When you get down to it, Phang concluded, "the reality is it’s Trump’s supporters who are sending in their small-dollar donations who are paying for these lawyers and law firms. So what happens if Trump loses in November 2024 and he fails to regain the Oval Office? Will these donors continue to cover Trump’s legal bills? Or will he have to dig deep into his own pockets? More importantly, will Trump’s existing stable of lawyers be willing to continue to represent him if the money well runs dry?"