The Dictatorship
President says he’s owed ‘lot of money’ over federal probes. Here’s how govt could pay him…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has suggested he’s entitled to compensation from the federal government over investigations he faced that he claims were politically motivated. Now, the Justice Department that Trump has exerted control over could approve a hefty payout in taxpayer dollars.
The Republican president’s comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday have put a spotlight on a law through which people can seek damages if they believe they were wronged by the federal government.
But the potential that the president might take taxpayer money from the same government he leads has raised numerous ethical questions, especially since Trump has made cutting federal spending a top administration priority.
Adding to conflict-of-interest concerns is the fact that top Justice Department officials who would presumably have to sign off on such a settlement previously served as a defense lawyer for the president or his close allies.
Here’s a look at Trump’s claims and the process that could play out:
How the claims process works
Before reclaiming the White House, Trump filed two claims with the Justice Department seeking $230 million in damages related to the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago property for classified documents and for a separate investigation into potential ties between Russia and his 2016 presidential campaign, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
He filed the claims in 2023 and 2024 under a law that permits individuals to sue federal agencies, like the Justice Department, if they believe they’ve been harmed by employees of those agencies acting within the scope of their duties. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, individuals must first file an administrative claim with the government agency. The agency then has six months to either settle the claim or deny it outright.
If the agency denies the claim or doesn’t act on it within that time frame, the person can then file a federal lawsuit. Trump has not yet filed a lawsuit on either claim, even though six months have passed.
The usual source of payments for claims against the government is from what’s known as the Judgment Fund. Treasury Department records show payments from the Judgment Fund over the last year on behalf of a slew of federal agencies related to discrimination claims, violations of the Privacy Act and other matters.
In one recent high-profile case, the Justice Department in 2024 agreed to pay more than $138 million to settle 139 administrative claims brought by people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016.
Why Trump says the government owes him money
Trump has long claimed he was the victim of a weaponized Justice Department that targeted him for political purposes. The Biden administration’s Justice Department abandoned both criminal cases it brought against Trump after his White House victory last November because of department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
The president signaled his interest in compensation during a White House appearance last week with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi — telling reporters “I’m suing myself” — even though his claims to date have not been filed as lawsuits. He said he believes the government owes him a “lot of money,” but suggested he could donate any taxpayer money or use it to help pay for a ballroom he’s building at the White House.
One of the administrative claims, filed in August 2024 and reviewed by The Associated Press, seeks $115 million in compensatory and punitive damages over the search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and the resulting case alleging he hoarded classified documents and thwarted government efforts to retrieve them.
It accuses former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director Christopher Wray and Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith of harassing and targeting Trump with a “malicious prosecution” in an effort to hurt Trump’s bid to reclaim the White House.
The Times said the other claim seeks damages related to the long-concluded Trump-Russia investigation, which continues to infuriate the president.
Defense lawyers for Trump and his allies could have the final say
Trump’s claims have raised thorny ethical issues because under Justice Department policy, proposed settlements of more than $4 million must be approved by the deputy attorney general or associate attorney general. Blanche, the deputy attorney general, was one of Trump’s lead defense lawyers in the Mar-a-Lago investigation. And Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward represented Trump’s valet and co-defendant, Walt Nauta, in the same case.
The department has not said whether Blanche and Woodward would be recused in settlement talks, but said in a statement on Tuesday that “in any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.” Bondi, in July, however, fired the department’s top official responsible for advising the attorney general and deputy attorney general on ethics issues.
Democrats plan to investigate
Democrats pounced on the news, announcing that Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, would launch an investigation into what they called a “shakedown” that violated the Constitution.
It was not immediately clear what shape that inquiry might take, but it seems unlikely that Raskin or other Democrats will get any cooperation from Justice Department leadership, particularly in the aftermath of a combative congressional appearance that Bondi made earlier this month.
In an explosive interview with NBC aired Sunday, President Donald Trump cut the grilling short and left the set after peppering “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker with insults.
“You’re either crooked or you’re stupid,” Trump told Welker, who kept a cool demeanor despite the president’s barrage of disparaging slurs.
Moments before he attacked her, Trump — without providing any evidence — said he believes elections in the U.S. are rigged. Then he lambasted television news networks, singling out NBC, CBS and ABC.
“They’re crooked just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump said.
“To be fair, I’m not crooked,” Welker shot back. “But let’s continue.”
“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough,” the president told Welker, who is the second woman and first Black journalist to helm the network’s flagship program.
Trump added, “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
It was not the first time Trump has berated a female journalist on the job covering his presidency.
In November 2025, he told Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey to stop talking, saying, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” One month later, he told ABC’s Rachel Scott she was “the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place.” Last month, he called MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner “a dumb person” for pointing out that the cost of his White House ballroom project had doubled since it was first announced.
He has also repeatedly lashed out at CNN’s Kaitlan Collinscriticizing her for not smiling enough.
The wide-ranging interview, which was taped last week on a farm in Wisconsin, was interrupted by the loud sound of heavy rain on the metal roof of the barn where they met. Welker questioned Trump on his war with Iran, his “anti-weaponization” fund and the upcoming midterm elections.
On his nearly $1.8 billion fund aimed at compensating people who say they were wrongly prosecuted, including Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, Trump said “people were destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponization. Many of those people should be compensated.”
He described the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as people who were “being ushered into the building” by law enforcement.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the fund last month and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week the administration would not be moving forward with the fundwhich faced bipartisan backlash.
When asked if the administration would pursue other avenues to revive it, Trump said he does not know what will ultimately happen and called Welker and her network “the fake dirty press.”
Despite campaigning on a promise to end foreign wars, Trump denied that he made such statements. He characterized the Iran war, launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28, as necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
When asked about the rising cost of living as a result of the war, specifically gas and fertilizer, Trump chastised Welker.
“Are you ready? Am I allowed to talk? You keep asking questions and you don’t listen to the answers,” he said.
“I love the farmers and the farmers love me,” Trump said, adding that prices will come down after the war.
Welker suggested to her viewers Sunday that she and the president had a cordial conversation Saturday, saying they both “acknowledged the complications” posed by the rain. “He agreed to sit down with me for another ‘Meet the Press’ interview,” she said.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Iran said visas were denied to key members of its national soccer team ahead of the World Cupwhich a U.S. official insisted was necessary so that Iran does not try to “sneak terrorists into the United States.”
In a post on Xthe Iranian embassy in Turkey said “visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others” on its team.
“You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level,” the embassy said, accusing the U.S. of the “worst possible form of politically biased interference in sport” and “depriving Iran’s national team of its right to play in the World Cup under normal conditions.”
Iranian officials are accusing the U.S. government of violating FIFA regulations and breaching its obligations as one of the host countries of what is widely regarded to be the biggest sporting event in the world. The diplomatic standoff between the two countries comes just days before the World Cup is set to kick off and more than three months after the U.S. and Israel waged war against Iran.
A Trump administration official who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the subject told MS NOW in a statement that the visas “necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued.”
The official added, however, “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses.”
The statement from the Iranian Embassy in Turkey came in response to a post on X by U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack praising embassy staff for processing visas for the Iranian national team.
According to The Associated Presssome of the team’s officials have not received visas to enter the U.S., which is co-hosting the World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Games are set to begin Thursday.
Problems with getting U.S. visas had already led Iran to move its World Cup training base from the U.S. to Mexico. But Iran is still listed on the official World Cup schedule to play its first two games in Los Angeles on June 15 against New Zealand, and against Belgium six days later before heading to Seattle to face Egypt.
The Iran Football Federation’s secretary-general and its vice president were among 14 staff and officials without U.S. visas, AP said, citing Iranian state television. The federation reportedly accused the U.S. of “vindictive behavior.”
Emily Hung contributed to this report.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
A shooting near a community festival in Toledo, Ohio, wounded at least 12 people, and police said a search for the suspects was ongoing following an outbreak of gunfire that sent crowds scrambling for cover.
Two of the wounded were in critical condition, Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe Heffernan said. He said it appeared there were at least two people firing weapons who were “probably shooting at each other.”
The Toledo Police Department said the shooting happened near the Old West End Festival, an annual gathering of live music and home tours in a historic district of the city.
The department said an active search was underway for those responsible.
“I am deeply concerned about the situation in Toledo tonight. Summer festivals should be safe spaces for families to spend time together without fear of violence,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement.
Multiple videos posted to social media showed people running over the sound of gunshots and emergency officials tending to others who appeared wounded.
Kevin Berry said he was sitting in the neighborhood arboretum listening to live music with his friends when he heard a handful of gunshots ring out.
“Everybody hit the deck,” he said.
When he looked back up, he saw a gun being tossed to the ground less than 50 feet (15 meters) away from him. Police officers who were already on-site for the festival immediately responded to the scene.
Berry, who has medical training and served in the U.S. Navy, said he walked around the area looking for potential victims who might need help.
He said he saw at least five people with gunshot wounds.
“The folks who were hit were spread out around the arboretum area,” he said.
The Old West End Festival is a two-day celebration in Toledo’s historic district that includes live music, food vendors, home tours and shopping.
Berry described it as the “kick-off to Toledo’s summer festival season.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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