Trump demands DOJ pay him $230 million for past investigations, report says

Brian Niemietz|, New York Daily News on Oct 21, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

President Trump has reportedly demanded the Justice Department pay him $230 million in compensation for past investigations against him — and he just may get his wish.

Trump’s claims against the department, which he’s staffed with allies including his former personal attorney, is without precedent, according to The New York Times.

Justice Department regulations allow for the deputy attorney general to sign off on such a settlement. That office is occupied by Todd Blanche, who worked for Trump in the private sector and famously represented him during his 2024 “hush money” trial in New York City.

Stanley Woodward Jr., who heads the department’s civil division and has represented a number of other MAGA figures, including FBI Director Kash Patel, is also permitted to authorize a payment.

Trump’s demand reportedly came in the form of two administrative claims that could be heard by a court if ignored or declined by the DOJ. However, that’s unlikely considering the president is “already negotiating, in essence, with his subordinates,” according to The Times, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Trump’s claims were filed in 2023 and 2024. The first one reportedly says that, among other things, his rights were violated when the FBI and a special counsel investigated potential links between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russian interlopers.

The second complaint alleges the FBI and the DOJ violated his privacy when his Mar-a-Lago estate was searched for classified documents in 2022. It also accuses the DOJ of malicious prosecution in charging him with mishandling the sensitive records.

Trump seemed to allude to his claims against the federal government in the Oval Office last week.

“I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president, I said, I’m sort of suing myself,” he told reporters. “I don’t know, how do you settle the lawsuit, I’ll say give me X dollars, and I don’t know what to do with the lawsuit.”

When asked about the potential ethical conflicts involved in such a payment being approved by Trump’s allies, a DOJ spokesman told the New York Times that “in any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.”

The Justice Department isn’t required to publicly announce settlement agreements reached on administrative claims, according to department officials. Such compensation is typically paid with tax dollars.

_____