Trump Seeks $230 Million from Justice Department Over “Politically Motivated” Investigations
Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump is seeking approximately $230 million in compensation from the U.S. Department of Justice, claiming he was the target of politically motivated federal investigations during and after President Joe Biden’s administration, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the Times, senior department officials who once defended Trump or his allies could now find themselves in the unusual position of deciding whether to approve a payout to their current boss. The report described the situation as one that “has no parallel in American history,” underscoring how Trump’s return to the presidency has blurred traditional lines between executive authority and judicial independence.
Trump’s claim reportedly focuses on the financial costs, reputational damage, and legal expenses he says resulted from years of federal inquiries — including multiple special counsel investigations launched while Biden was in office. Any settlement, The Times noted, would likely require approval from the department’s top leadership, several of whom previously represented Trump in private practice before joining his administration.
During the Biden administration, Trump faced several high-profile prosecutions. Chief among them were Special Counsel Jack Smith’s two cases: one in Washington, D.C., accusing Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, and another in Florida involving the alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House. Both cases, initiated in 2023, were still in pretrial stages when Trump returned to office in January 2025.
In addition, federal prosecutors in New York and Georgia examined Trump’s business dealings and election-interference efforts, while the Manhattan District Attorney — acting independently of federal authorities — brought the so-called “hush money” case over payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied all wrongdoing, characterizing the prosecutions as “election interference.”
According to The New York Times, Trump’s restitution demand frames these actions as government abuses that inflicted measurable financial harm. Legal scholars quoted by the paper said such a claim faces “enormous legal hurdles,” given the broad immunity that federal investigators enjoy for actions taken in their official capacity.
The case also highlights what the Times called “the starkest example yet” of potential conflicts within the Justice Department — as several senior officials now serving under Trump previously acted as his private attorneys or legal defenders. Their involvement raises serious questions about how the department can impartially evaluate a compensation claim filed by the president himself.
Critics argue that granting such a payout would effectively amount to a government-funded reward for dismantling oversight of the president’s own conduct. Trump’s supporters, meanwhile, contend that the investigations were partisan vendettas that cost taxpayers millions and unjustly damaged his reputation.
As The New York Times emphasized, there is no historical precedent for a sitting president demanding damages from the very government he leads — making the outcome both uncertain and politically explosive. Whether the Justice Department approves or rejects the claim, the decision will test the limits of executive power and the independence of the American justice system in an era once again defined by Donald Trump’s presidency.
