Democrats demand DOJ officials recuse from Trump purported $230M damage claims
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House Democrats accused President Donald Trump on Monday of trying to use the Justice Department to improperly pay for legal damages he has suffered over the past decade and demanded that senior department officials recuse themselves from the matter.
In a public letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and top official Stanley Woodward, House Judiciary Committee Democrats called the potential payout a “blatant illegal and unconstitutional effort” to steal millions of dollars from taxpayers.
Trump’s interest in the payment was first reported last week. New York TimesThat said, Trump began seeking the $230 million amount through an administrative requests process that top Justice Department officials usually must approve. According to the report, Trump submitted the allegations in 2023 and 2024, before taking office.
The committee, led by ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), warned Democrats of the repercussions of paying Trump and demanded a list of nonpublic information about Trump’s reported demands, setting the stage for a possible future investigation if they win the majority and gain subpoena power within a year.
TRUMP SUGGESTS DOJ OWES HIM FOR PAST CASES
Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Donald Trump attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House on October 15, 2025. (Washington Post via Demetrius Freeman/Getty Images)
“You may face civil liability, ethics investigations, professional discipline, and potential criminal liability for conspiracy to defraud the United States,” the lawmakers wrote.
They joined several Democrats and some Republicans to examine whether the president could potentially accept a lump sum from a department he currently leads.
Trump recently addressed the report in the Oval Office, saying it would be “extremely strange” to pay him. Trump is reportedly seeking payment for damages resulting from the Justice Department’s investigations into alleged Trump-Russia collusion and investigations of former special counsel Jack Smith.
“In other words, have you ever had one of those cases where you had to decide how much to pay yourself in damages?” Trump said. “But I suffered a great deal of damage. And I was going to donate any money I received to charity.”
TRUMP AND DEMOCRATS ARE LOCKED IN AN ENDLESS PAYMENT CYCLE AFTER COMEY ALLEGATION AND TARGETING THE PRESIDENT’S ENEMIES
Jack Smith speaks at a press conference on August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
House Democrats opposed this, saying Trump “does not have the right to accept bribes or kickbacks simply by promising to donate the proceeds to charity.”
They also demanded that Blanche and Woodward, who worked on the legal defense team during Trump’s criminal investigations, recuse themselves from any decision to award damages to Trump.
Asked for comment, a spokesman for the Republican committee accused Democrats of focusing too much on Trump.
Representative Jamie Raskin arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2025, to speak with reporters while introducing tariff legislation. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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“Instead of fixating on President Trump, who has clearly done nothing wrong, Democrats should focus on opening up the government and paying federal workers, many of whom live in Ranking Member Raskin’s district,” said committee spokesman Russell Dye. “But unfortunately their priority will always be to attack President Trump rather than pay the soldiers, air traffic controllers, and families hurt by the Democrat shutdown.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.
