Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump sidestepped a question about how much money is being directed to her father-in-law to cover his extensive legal expenses.
Former President Donald Trump was convicted in New York last week on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He plans to appeal the verdict, with sentencing scheduled for July 11. Trump also faces criminal indictments in three other jurisdictions and is appealing a $500 million civil fraud judgment against him.
Following the conviction, donations to Trump surged, causing his campaign website to crash. The campaign claimed it raised nearly $53 million in the 24 hours after the guilty verdict. Republicans condemned the trial as political persecution and suggested it would ensure Trump’s return to the White House.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Lara Trump highlighted her father-in-law’s fundraising success to host Kasie Hunt.
“What we understand is that when somebody donates even $1, Kasie, to a campaign, they are going to ultimately turn out and vote for that person,” she said. “They are bought in.”
Hunt then addressed concerns about some Republican donors’ money being used to pay Trump’s legal fees. Last year, Trump reportedly spent $50 million in campaign funds on legal expenses. In March, Lara Trump stated that the RNC would not cover the former president’s legal fees, a claim proven false a week later.
“How much of the money that has been raised is going to be used to pay for the former president’s legal fees?” Hunt asked.
“Well, everybody has an option whenever they donate to our joint fundraising agreement to opt out of it,” Trump replied. “It is a very small percentage of the money that we take in. And so, I would have to say, we’ll wait and see what is necessary in the future. Obviously, this has been a very costly thing—not just for Donald Trump and his campaign, but for America.”
