WASHINGTON ― Donald Trump’s allies in the Senate say they wouldn’t object if the Republican National Committee decides to help pay for the former president’s mounting legal bills.
Asked if the RNC should bail Trump out, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) answered, “I believe so.”
“I mean, they’re targeting him because he’s the nominee,” the Florida Republican told HuffPost on Thursday, referring to the 91 criminal charges brought against Trump in federal and state jurisdictions.
“I would prefer not to have to do that. But these are all politically motivated prosecutions. And the reason why they’re coming after him is because he’s running for president,” he added.
Trump’s legal bills exceed a half-billion dollars, including $355 million in fines, plus interest, after a ruling that he had manipulated his net worth in New York. Trump was also ordered to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll for damaging her reputation after a jury found him liable of sexually assaulting her.
A growing number of RNC members believe the party should help offset the bills from Trump’s lawyers, CNBC reported on Thursday, and a resolution seeking to block Trump from tapping RNC funds for that purpose failed to garner enough support this week.
Moreover, Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law whom he has tapped as the new RNC co-chair to replace Ronna McDaniel, said last month that paying Trump’s legal expenses is “a big interest” to his supporters.
Trump’s campaign, meanwhile, maintains that the committee would not be used to pay his legal bills. “Hard no,” a spokesperson for the presumptive GOP nominee told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Trump supporter, said he wouldn’t object if the party’s campaign arm came to his financial aid.
“They’re trying to drain the guy dry. I’ll leave it up to the RNC to figure out what’s the best way forward,” Graham said. “I just think we need to help our nominee as best we can.”
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party arm dedicated to winning control of the Senate, also said it was up to the new leadership of the RNC.
“The RNC will take a look at the best allocation of their funds and make their decision,” Daines told HuffPost.
It’s not like the RNC is swimming in cash right now, even if it agreed to cover some of Trump’s legal expenses. The party is facing an alarming cash crunch in an election year, reporting just $8 million in cash on hand in the last quarter, the smallest amount in a decade. The Democratic National Committee has three times that amount banked: $21 million.
Trump’s GOP critics said he should pay his legal fees himself. The former president has claimed he’s worth over $10 billion, though Forbes estimates the real figure is around $2 billion.
“I think those kinds of personal matters should be covered by a billionaire himself, and RNC dollars should be devoted to his election and campaign,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) scoffed at the idea of footing Trump’s legal bills, asking, “Are they covering yours?”