A new analysis of how Donald Trump's legal fees are draining campaign cash coffers has eyebrows raised over the former president's decision to endorse his daughter-in-law to co-chair the Republican National Committee.
The Bloomberg report — which found Trump is on pace to spend $26.6 million on legal fees by July, when prime campaign season kicks off — notes the RNC could provide Trump cash for his lawyers, a point not lost on CNN host Jake Tapper.
Tapper shared the story on X Wednesday morning with the question, “How much should GOPers look at Lara Trump RNC news through this lens?”
The CNN host posed this question just hours after Lara Trump stated during NewsMax interview what she would do with RNC cash if elected as co-chair.
“Every single penny will go to the number one and the only job of the RNC,” she said. “That is electing Donald J. Trump as President of the United States.”
One problem with Lara Trump’s plan, according to Bloomberg, is that the RNC’s access to campaign cash is limited. While the RNC started the year with just $8 million in the bank, the Democratic National Committee had $21 million.
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According to Salon columnist Heather Digby Parton, this cashflow problem has been unfairly blamed on the current chair who is expected to depart later this month, Ronna McDaniel.
“This isn't really McDaniel's fault, however,” writes the columnist. “The reason they can't raise any money is because Trump is hoovering it all up for his campaign and his Super PACs which are paying his voluminous legal expenses.”
Parton believes the legal cash problem is why Trump also endorsed current RNC general counsel Michael Whatley to co-chair, she writes.
“Whatley is a true blue, "Stop the Steal" election denier who's been sowing mistrust in the electoral system for many years,” Parton writes. “Trump apparently thinks he can get the RNC to start picking up some of his legal bills again with Whatley in charge.”
Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen also believes the legal cash problem might explain why he endorsed a woman Cohen describes as underqualified whom he says the former president used to hate.
“She’s only being installed there to do what Donald wants with all of the money that’s going to be raised,” Cohen argued. “Every dollar that you give to that RNC will somehow find its way into [Trump’s] pocket.”
Tapper’s question, the Bloomberg report and Lara Trump’s comment caused an uproar on social media among people who agreed with Cohen’s take.
Ricardo Rebelo argued Trump campaign funds would likely go toward fighting an $83.3 million civil defamation penalty and an expected ruling in his $370 million civil fraud case.
“Every penny is going to the E. Jean Carroll appeal,” Rebelo wrote. “Everything the GOP raises the rest of the year will go to the New York State appeal and trials.”
“According to Lara Trump, every dollar donated to the RNC will go to Trump and no one else,” @JamesSNYC warned. “RNC donors, beware.”