President Trump’s reelection campaign has spent more than $8 million in legal fees since Trump was inaugurated, an analysis published Thursday found.
The campaign spent almost $1.7 million in legal fees between January and March of 2019, including more than $1.2 million paid to former White House counsel Don McGahn’s firm Jones Day, an ABC News analysis of Federal Election Commission records found.
After McGahn’s departure from the White House, his firm still took in more than $5.6 million in legal fees from the campaign.{mosads}
Trump’s campaign recently hired in-house counsel, according to media reports, so payments to Jones Day are expected to lessen.
Campaign funds have been spent to cover fees for various Trump associates including Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Michael Cohen — before the relationship between Trump and Cohen soured — according to the report.
“It’s sad that campaign resources have had to be devoted to defending ourselves against the baseless Russia hoax and endless witch hunt,” Trump campaign’s deputy communications director Erin Perrine told ABC News.
In addition to the $8 million, other groups including the Republican National Committee have contributed to legal payments for Trump associates.
Over the same time period, former President Obama’s campaign spent only about $2.7 million in legal expenses, according to ABC.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.