The list of Donald Trump’s legal troubles is, to the former president’s great frustration, not at all short. At this point, Americans are aware of the ongoing criminal investigations into the Republican’s hush money scandal, alleged election interference in Georgia, alleged mishandling of classified documents, alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack, and the controversy surrounding his special purpose acquisition company.
There are also a variety of civil cases pending against the former president, including the sweeping case brought by the New York Attorney General’s Office, several lawsuits filed by police officers injured during the Jan. 6 attack, and the ongoing defamation case filed by writer E. Jean Carroll.
But let’s not overlook Trump’s controversial fundraising practices, which also appear to be a subject of great interest to prosecutors. The New York Times reported over the weekend:
As they investigate former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal prosecutors have also been drilling down on whether Mr. Trump and a range of political aides knew that he had lost the race but still raised money off claims that they were fighting widespread fraud in the vote results, according to three people familiar with the matter.
According to the reporting, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors are closely scrutinizing the former president’s political action committee, Save America PAC, examining whether the operation might have violated federal wire fraud statutes.
Team Trump raised $250 million by asking donors to finance a scheme to overturn the election results, even though the former president and his aides knew he lost fair and square. The underlying question is relatively straightforward: Was the grift legal?
Complicating matters, of course, is the problem of how the Republican used the money he collected from those who believed his lies: The Jan. 6 committee last year documented the fact that while Trump’s…
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