Trump’s Legal Defense Fund Launches With a Big Typo and Bigger Ethical Questions
More egregious than the grammatical hiccup are the overt ties between Trump’s legal defense fund and his 2024 campaign—which test some serious rules.
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/Reuters
Former President Donald Trump’s legal defense fund went live on Sunday and, of course, it contained a glaring typo in the first heading.
“Support Donald Trumps Patriot Legal Defense Fund,” the site proudly declared, apostrophe omission and all (or maybe the fund aims to raise cash for all the Donald Trumps out there).
But perhaps more egregious than the grammatical goof are the legal boundaries that team Trump seems to be pushing with the fund’s overt ties to his 2024 presidential campaign.
The fund technically may not coordinate with the campaign on fundraising, since its existence as a legal defense fund allows it to skirt the Federal Election Commission’s campaign-finance rules. But clicking the “Donate Now” hyperlink sends users directly to Trump’s 2024 campaign website, where viewers are hit up front with donation requests. The only other link on the fund’s page also takes you to the campaign site.
Further adding to the eyebrow-raising ethical concerns, Susie Wiles, a top campaign aide, is listed on the Patriot Legal Defense Fund’s incorporation documents.
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Trump’s three indictments—with more potentially on the way—have racked up some serious legal fees for the former president.
First he was charged by a New York grand jury in March for his alleged role in hush-money payments to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, then this summer he was federally indicted twice—once for allegedly mishandling federal documents and, later, for his botched attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
A possible fourth indictment in Fulton County for his alleged election meddling in Georgia could be just around the corner, spelling even more spending for Trump’s legal defense.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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