President Trump said on Tuesday that he will be seeking restitution for prior investigations into him by the Department of Justice.
His comments came after a reporter asked about a New York Times report claiming he had filed administrative claims, before his reelection, seeking roughly $230 million in damages over the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents, as well as a separate investigation into debunked ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia.
Trump said he was not aware of the exact dollar amount, but added, “All I know is that, they would owe me a lot of money.”
“It’s interesting, ‘cause I’m the one that makes the decision, right?” Trump said. “That decision [on whether the restitution payment is acceptable, and its approval] would have to go across my desk."
He added that any taxpayer money he received would go to support the construction of the new White House Ballroom, which began on Monday.
Speaker of the House Mike Johsnon on Wednesday was asked by reporters for comment on President Trump's claim, to which he said, "I don't know the details about that, I've just read it, I haven't talked with him about that. I know that he believes he's owed that reimbursement. What I heard yesterday was if he receives it, he was gonna consider giving it to charity, I mean, he doesn't need those proceeds."
Reporter: How comfortable are you with the President seeking $230 million from the DOJ?
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 22, 2025
Johnson: I don’t know the details of that. I know he believes he’s owed that reimbursement. pic.twitter.com/6dl9W6DbvT