Fetterman Calls Trump’s Reported $230M DOJ Cash Grab ‘Small Ball’: ‘We Have Much Bigger Problems’

 

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) dismissed President Donald Trump’s reported attempt to get a $230 million payout from the Department of Justice as a “small ball” distraction from “bigger problems.”

Fetterman joined CNN’s John Berman on Wednesday morning, where the senator said he hopes reports about the president seeking the massive payout from taxpayers is not true.

“The president yesterday seemed to acknowledge that he’s trying to get a $230 million payout from the government in response to a couple of the investigations into him. That would be taxpayer money. How do you feel about the president pushing for that?” Berman asked.

“I hope that’s not true. For that kind of money, that’s small ball,” Fetterman said. “And I think we have much bigger problems than worrying about those things. I hope it’s not true. And of course, you know, the two $230 million should go to paying people’s health insurance or other things. That’s not a priority. I would never support for those kinds of payments.”

The president appeared to confirm reports about the DOJ payment at the White House on Tuesday when he was confronted on the matter.

“They probably owe me a lot of money. But if I get money from our country, I’ll do something nice with it, like to give it to charity or give it to the White House, where we restore the White House. And we’re doing a good job. As you know, the ballroom is under construction,” Trump said.

The New York Times first reported on the $230 million payment, citing multiple people with knowledge of the situation. The president’s complaints tie back to multiple DOJ investigations into him, including “Russian election tampering and possible connections to the 2016 Trump campaign,” the FBI’s raid of his Mar-a-Lago property, the alleged mishandling of that classified material, and more.

Trump reportedly filed complaints in 2023 and 2024, citing former officials who “privately expressed misgivings that the department’s leaders did not reject Mr. Trump’s legal claims in the waning days of the Biden administration.”

Watch above via CNN.

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Zachary Leeman covered pop culture and politics at outlets such as Breitbart, LifeZette, BizPac Review, HollywoodinToto, and others. He is the author of the novel Nigh. He joined Mediaite in 2022.