Bolton says Trump ‘can spend a little of his own money’ on legal defense

John Bolton, a former national security adviser to former President Trump, said Monday the former president “can spend a little of his own money” on his legal defense. 

“People who worry about whether poor Donald Trump’s going to have enough money for campaign purposes and legal bills … he’s a gazillionaire, ask him, he’ll tell you frequently. He can spend a little of his own money,” Bolton said in an interview on NewsNation’s The Hill. 

“Well it befuddles me why anybody would give a billionaire money to pay their own legal bills,” Bolton said. 

Trump’s campaign confirmed last weekend the former president raised $7.1 million since he was booked at the Fulton County Jail last week, where he became the first U.S. president to have his mug shot taken. 

Trump raised $4.18 million on Friday alone, marking the highest-grossing day of his entire campaign, a spokesperson said. The former president’s fundraising haul was first reported by Politico.

In the last three weeks, the campaign brought in nearly $20 million, even amid two separate indictments over his alleged efforts to remain in office after the 2020 election. 

“I think it’s very disturbing that in what I always thought of as a political party based on principle, that so many people seem attracted to an individual almost regardless of what he does,” Bolton said. 

Campaign filings previously showed Trump burned through millions of dollars in donor money to pay for legal fees as he defends himself in four criminal cases.

In doing so, he has faced criticism for showing no interest in providing financial aid to his former aides who are charged alongside him over an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. 

Last week, Trump-aligned attorney and co-defendant Jenna Ellis publicly questioned why super PAC MAGA Inc. is not paying for her defense, and the defense of other defendants in the Georgia case. 

Michael Cohen, who served as Trump’s personal attorney, echoed this argument, calling the former president an “idiot” for not paying his co-defendants’ bills.  

Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D) charged Trump alongside 18 other co-defendants in an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump faces 13 charges ranging from making false statements and impersonating a public officer to conspiracy and racketeering. 

The indictment marked Trump’s fourth criminal case as he fights three other criminal cases in New York City, Florida and Washington, D.C.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

This story was updated at 11:54 a.m.