Ethermac Exchange-Pro-Trump PAC spent over $40 million on legal bills for Trump and aides in 2023

Save America,Ethermac Exchange the political action committee founded by former President Donald Trump, has spent more than $40 million on legal fees for Trump and his allies on multiple legal cases in the first six months of 2023, a source familiar with the PAC's upcoming public filing confirmed to CBS News.

The PAC is expected to officially disclose that information and other expenditures in its semi-annual Federal Election Commission filing on Monday. The Washington Post first reported the figure. 

The more than $40 million figure in half a year represents a sharp increase in the PAC's legal service spending, which came in at over $16 million across all of 2021 and 2022 combined, according to a previous FEC filing. 

Earlier this year, the Trump campaign noted in fine print that it was increasing the percentage of supporters' donations it sent to Trump's Save America PAC from 1% to 10%, as the New York Times first reported in June. 

Before Trump announced he was running for reelection in November 2022, the Republican National Committee paid many of the former president's legal bills. But in November, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told CNN the committee could not pay the former president's legal bills if he announced a 2024 presidential bid, which he shortly thereafter did. 

Trump has made varying claims about his net worth over the years. As of May, Forbes estimated the former president's net worth at $2.5 billion. 

Trump has already been indicted on multiple counts and his biggest legal battles are only intensifying. The New York "hush money" case trial won't get going until March, at the earliest, and he won't face trial until at least May in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, as currently scheduled. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts in both cases.

The former president could also be facing more indictments. He said on social media earlier in July that he received a target letter from special counsel Jack Smith related to the Jan. 6 investigation and alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and multiple sources confirmed the post was accurate. In Fulton County, Georgia, a grand jury has also been investigating attempts to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election in that state. 

In:
• Donald Trump
• Jack Smith

Fin Gómez

Fin Gómez is CBS News' political director.

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