A Bizarre Request: Trump's Compensation Bid Sparks Outrage Among Experts
President Donald Trump has submitted a request to the Department of Justice for $230 million in damages, citing specious legal claims that would likely be rejected by any other American. The amount is staggering, and experts say it's an absurd bid that sets off alarm bells.
Trump argues that he is entitled to compensation due to investigations into his 2016 campaign and the search of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. He has filed two separate claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), a law that allows individuals to seek damages from the federal government.
However, experts say that Trump's claims are flimsy and would be rejected by any other American. Gregory Sisk, a law professor at the University of St Thomas in Minnesota, notes that typically someone requesting an amount approaching $230 million would have their claim quickly dismissed as absurd.
"Typically, someone who was asking for this amount of money, it would be very quickly rejected, because it would be thought of as absurd to request that amount," Sisk said. "I cannot think of any prior claim, at least at this early stage, that has been settled that involves money approaching that level."
Rupa Bhattacharyya, a former Justice Department attorney who worked on FTCA claims, agrees. She notes that it's extremely rare for the government to agree to a big settlement without litigating it.
"A lot of the cases that get settled are small potatoes," she said. "But big-money cases, it's pretty rare for claims to be settled at the administrative stage because before the government pays out taxpayer funds, it wants to ensure that it has a reason to do so."
The FTCA does not allow for punitive damages, and experts say that Trump's claim is frivolous. They also question whether he would be able to recover attorneys' fees in the case.
The unusual aspect of this request is that both the deputy attorney general and associate attorney general who have the authority to sign off on the claims are Trump allies. This has raised serious legal ethics concerns, with many experts arguing that it's a conflict of interest.
"If President Trump wants to press his legal claims in a court of law, let him try, as thousands of tort claimants do every year," Bhattacharyya wrote in an essay published this week. "Settling President Trump's administrative claims before there has been any opportunity to test or defend those claims should be a non-starter for the justice department if it is to retain any integrity, a commitment to doing justice, and a sense of responsibility for US taxpayer dollars with which they have been entrusted."
President Donald Trump has submitted a request to the Department of Justice for $230 million in damages, citing specious legal claims that would likely be rejected by any other American. The amount is staggering, and experts say it's an absurd bid that sets off alarm bells.
Trump argues that he is entitled to compensation due to investigations into his 2016 campaign and the search of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. He has filed two separate claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), a law that allows individuals to seek damages from the federal government.
However, experts say that Trump's claims are flimsy and would be rejected by any other American. Gregory Sisk, a law professor at the University of St Thomas in Minnesota, notes that typically someone requesting an amount approaching $230 million would have their claim quickly dismissed as absurd.
"Typically, someone who was asking for this amount of money, it would be very quickly rejected, because it would be thought of as absurd to request that amount," Sisk said. "I cannot think of any prior claim, at least at this early stage, that has been settled that involves money approaching that level."
Rupa Bhattacharyya, a former Justice Department attorney who worked on FTCA claims, agrees. She notes that it's extremely rare for the government to agree to a big settlement without litigating it.
"A lot of the cases that get settled are small potatoes," she said. "But big-money cases, it's pretty rare for claims to be settled at the administrative stage because before the government pays out taxpayer funds, it wants to ensure that it has a reason to do so."
The FTCA does not allow for punitive damages, and experts say that Trump's claim is frivolous. They also question whether he would be able to recover attorneys' fees in the case.
The unusual aspect of this request is that both the deputy attorney general and associate attorney general who have the authority to sign off on the claims are Trump allies. This has raised serious legal ethics concerns, with many experts arguing that it's a conflict of interest.
"If President Trump wants to press his legal claims in a court of law, let him try, as thousands of tort claimants do every year," Bhattacharyya wrote in an essay published this week. "Settling President Trump's administrative claims before there has been any opportunity to test or defend those claims should be a non-starter for the justice department if it is to retain any integrity, a commitment to doing justice, and a sense of responsibility for US taxpayer dollars with which they have been entrusted."
this is straight outta trump's playbook, 230 million in damages? that's just ridiculous. i mean what's next, he wants us to pay his ego fees? 
$230 million?! that's like asking to buy a private island 
and then sue the feds for it lol. experts are saying no way jose, this claim is as weak as his 2016 tweets 
and he thinks the DOJ is gonna give him a blank check? please. if he really had a beef with them, maybe try suing in court like normal people do 
It's just crazy. Trump thinks he's entitled to that kind of cash because of some investigations and document searches at Mar-a-Lago? Give me a break! Experts are saying it's an absurd claim and would get rejected by anyone else, but I guess Trump feels like he's above the law or something. 
And what's even more weird is that both his allies on the DOJ are supposed to be signing off on these claims, which raises major ethics concerns. It's like they're playing a game of "follow the money" instead of doing their job right. 
I don't think Trump stands a chance in court, and it's just going to end up costing taxpayers more time and resources than it would have been worth to settle. 
He's filed two separate claims, so it's not like he's just making a one-time request. And what's the worst that could happen, right? He loses and has to pay back a bunch of cash? So what? It's not like he's going to bankrupt the country or anything... probably. 
And honestly, it's kinda refreshing that the DOJ is pushing back on this, like, no one deserves special treatment just because they're a former prez 
. I'm not saying Trump should get squat, but come on, shouldn't he at least have a shot at getting some kind of settlement? 
. It smells like favoritism to me, not justice. And don't even get me started on the fact that no one else would be able to pull this off and still think they're owed $230 million 
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. But the truth is, he's not above the law, no matter how much he tries to make it seem that way 
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. I'm calling BS on this whole thing 
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. And what really gets my goat is the fact that it's Trump's buddies who are supposed to be signing off on this stuff. It's just another example of how he thinks he can just bend the rules and get away with it 
.