Two top House Democrats have asked the Trump administration to turn over copies of President Trump’s controversial claims — totaling about $230 million — for damages over the past criminal investigations into Mr. Trump before the 2024 election.
In the request, which was obtained Thursday by CBS News, the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rep. Robert Garcia of California, are seeking records on the administrative claims filed with the Justice Department by Mr. Trump over the two cases.
The first claim is related to the government’s investigation into Mr. Trump regarding alleged interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential election, and the second concerns the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago that centered around Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left the White House in 2021.
The request by the House Democrats seeks information about the claims, “including all documentation, exhibits, affidavits, and evidence submitted with such claims.” Raskin and Garcia set a deadline of Oct. 30 for the Trump administration to hand over the records. But the House Democrats, who are in the minority, do not have subpoena power to require the administration to hand over records on the matter.
The Democrats are also seeking correspondence that includes Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. Blanche was one of Mr. Trump’s criminal defense attorneys, and Woodward was Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta’s defense attorney in the classified documents case. Both of those officials, unless they recuse themselves, could be directly involved in determining whether to grant President Trump’s claim. If any compensation is approved, it would be paid for by American taxpayers.
In their request, Raskin and Garcia criticized the president for pursuing taxpayer money in his claim. In their letter, the two wrote, “The Founders feared presidents like you might one day be tempted to use their powers to steal U.S. taxpayer funds. That’s why they enshrined a very simple rule into the Constitution, which is called the Domestic Emoluments Clause. As President, you may not receive any payment from the federal government or any of the states, except for your salary, which is currently fixed by law at $400,000 per year.”
Both of the administrative claims were filed before Mr. Trump was inaugurated for his second term.
It’s unclear whether discussions between the Trump legal team and the Justice Department are underway or whether they have occurred, the source said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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