A retired FBI official: Donald Trump may be forced to return campaign funds
A retired FBI official on Tuesday said Donald Trump may eventually be forced to return campaign funds.
Frank Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the bureau, shared his thoughts on the matter while linking to an article from Politico on X (formerly Twitter).
“This isn’t over yet. When you raise millions based on a fraudulent claim, you’ve committed a crime. And, you just might have to give those millions back,” Figliuzzi wrote.
Investigation Continues: Trump’s Efforts to Overturn the 2020 Election
The article by Politico journalists Betsy Woodruff Swan and Kyle Cheney detailed how special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election is ongoing. One detail they focused on was how Smith has reportedly been looking at the large amount of money raised by Trump’s Save America PAC between the November 2002 election and the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
“Restitution (paying back victims of fraud or money laundering) is a common remedy,” Figliuzzi told Newsweek in an email. “For example, the founder of ‘We Build the Wall’ foundation was sentenced in his deceiving donors into believing that all their donations would go into building a border wall. His federal sentencing included $25M in restitution.”
Others Facing Charges and the Potential for Paying Back Donations
Figliuzzi went on: “Similarly, Steve Bannon is facing related charges in the state of New York (trial set for next year). So, if Trump or his PAC solicited donations based on a fraudulent assertion that the 2020 election was lost, and Trump or his PAC knew the assertion was false, then that is criminal fraud—and the donations might considered proceeds of that crime. Hence, the money might have to be paid back.”
Questions Surrounding Save America PAC’s Fundraising
According to Politico, investigators working for Smith’s office asked Bernard Kerik “multiple questions” on Monday about the Save America PAC’s fundraising after the election. Politico quoted Kerik’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, who attended the interview.
“It’s a laser focus from Election Day to Jan. 6,” Parlatore reportedly said.
The Denials and Indictments Against Trump
Kerik is a former New York police commissioner who pleaded guilty in 2009 to eight felony charges of tax fraud and making false statements to the federal government. In early 2020, Trump issued a pardon for Kerik, and the former law enforcement official later aided Trump in his attempts to overturn his loss in the presidential election by searching for evidence to back up false claims of widespread election fraud.
Trump has denied wrongdoing in all of the current cases against him and pleaded not guilty to the charges in his three indictments.
Figliuzzi’s Criticism and Concerns
Figliuzzi, who also works as a contributor to NBC News, has been a frequent critic of the former president in recent years.
In an MSNBC.com column last month, he discussed the target letter Trump reportedly received from Smith’s office indicating an indictment was coming. Figliuzzi wrote such a move was “not only unprecedented, but also suggests we had a president who posed an existential threat to our democracy.”
More recently, Figliuzzi discussed during a Saturday appearance on MSNBC’s American Voices With Alicia Menendez how federal prosecutors asked the judge overseeing Trump’s election interference case to bar him from publicly disclosing evidence from their investigation. Noting the potential for violence from Trump supporters, Figliuzzi provided a warning about the next presidential election.
“How do we protect the election—the 2024 election—in this environment? With great difficulty,” he said.