Donald Trump is turning the tables on the Justice Department, demanding $230 million in compensation for what he describes as unjust and politically motivated investigations that tarnished his reputation and disrupted his life.
Trump’s legal team filed two formal administrative claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which is the first step before suing a federal agency. The first claim targets the Justice Department’s lengthy investigation into Russian election interference and its alleged ties to Trump’s 2016 campaign. The second concerns the high-profile FBI raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022, where agents searched for classified government documents he allegedly took from the White House.
According to sources close to the matter, Trump is accusing the DOJ of malicious prosecution, abuse of process, and violating his privacy rights. His lawyers argue that the investigations lacked proper legal grounding and were designed to damage him politically.
Legal analysts note that this is an extremely rare move, especially considering Trump is once again President and now oversees the very department he’s challenging. While the DOJ has not commented on the claims, they legally have up to 180 days to respond. If they reject the claims or fail to act, Trump can escalate the matter to federal court.
Ethics experts are sounding alarms.
“This raises serious conflict-of-interest issues,” said one law professor, who emphasized that a sitting president demanding money from his own Justice Department could set a dangerous precedent.
