Trump promising to personally pay legal bills of some White House staffers caught up in investigations: report

According to source speaking confidentially with Axios, President Donald Trump is offering to personally pay the legal bills of some White House staffers caught up in the multiple investigations into his administration and his presidential campaign.

The report notes that the Republican National Committee is already using GOP campaign donations to pay the legal bills of Donald Trump Jr. and his father, with an estimated $430,000 already disbursed to lawyers defending the two Trumps.

According to the report, "The White House official says he [Trump] 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.'"

Writer Jonathan Swan notes some questions arise out of Trump paying the legal fees of associates who may be providing testimony against the sitting president whose administration is under scrutiny by the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

"Is the plan to put this money into a general legal defense fund that all of the president's associates could request access to, or will the money be disbursed directly to attorneys?" Swan asks, adding, "Who decides which of the president's associates get the money and when they get it?" and

"What are the president's intentions regarding future legal bills for the first family? Will the RNC keep paying them?"

According to the White House source, "We're working on appropriate legal and ethical approval" and there has been no discussion about how much Trump will be willing to spend.

You can read the whole report here.