"It is really a case that puts the entire integrity of the Justice Department to the test"
"whether there's any daylight between the Oval Office and the Justice Department."
"The real question here is, who decides?"
"Long-standing DOJ policies have always counseled ... to avoid situations where there might even be an appearance of a conflict of interest."
"All I know is that [the federal government] would owe me a lot of money."
"awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself."
"could be"
The president submitted two complaints in 2023 and 2024 centered on the Russia interference and classified documents investigations. The president may seek roughly $230 million in compensation related to those complaints. He said it would be "awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself," and told reporters his legal team "could be" seeking the money. He also said, "All I know is that [the federal government] would owe me a lot of money," and suggested he would give any funds to charity. Legal ethicists state that donating the money would not resolve the ethical conflict. The situation raises questions about Justice Department integrity and whether DOJ officials who defended him would approve any settlement, given long-standing policies to avoid appearances of conflicts. No internal DOJ discussions have occurred since the inauguration, but the president's comments have reopened the issue.
Read at Axios
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