More than 20 White House staffers have already given voluntary interviews, including eight aides from the White House counsel’s office, according to President Donald Trump's attorney. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images Legal defense fund set up for Trump aides in Russia investigations

Associates of President Donald Trump drawn into the expanding Russia investigations are closer to getting financial help from a new legal defense fund, according to documents released this week by the Office of Government Ethics.

The Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust is being set up by a trio of lawyers to help Trump aides from his campaign, the transition and his administration with expenses related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, as well as the House and Senate probes examining Russian interference in the 2016 election and other matters.


More than 20 White House staffers have given voluntary interviews to Mueller, including eight aides from the White House counsel’s office, according to a memo released last week by Trump personal attorney John Dowd. He also said 17 campaign staffers and another 11 people “affiliated in some way or another with the campaign” also have given voluntary interviews with the special counsel or congressional committees.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

According to the draft agreement released by the OGE, the fund won’t be used by Trump himself or his immediate family members.

In a statement, OGE said the fund won’t accept donations from a range of prohibited sources, including lobbyists or lobbying organizations. Anonymous donors aren’t allowed, and anyone giving at least $200 over a calendar year must have their donations publicly disclosed.

Legal defense funds are not unusual for people tangled up in a major investigation. Aides to former President Bill Clinton had one set up during congressional and special counsel probes in his administration.

Two of Trump’s former aides—former Trump campaign staffer Rick Gates, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering and fraud, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who’s pleaded guilty to lying to investigators and is cooperating with Mueller’s team—have established their own funds.

The new Trump legal defense fund plans limits on who can draw from the fund, including no payments for lawyers for anyone tied to “any charge or indictment for dishonest, fraudulent or criminal activity” unless the managers decide “the acts forming the basis of such charge or indictment were undertaken by the Recipient on behalf of, or directly in support of, the Campaign, the Transition or the Administration in good faith and without knowledge that such acts were prohibited by law.”

Donations also will be restricted from anyone who wants to influence a Trump administration’s “official position or performance of duties.”

The lawyers listed as representatives for the fund are from Wiley Rein: former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner; Robert Walker, a former chief counsel and staff director on the Senate and House ethics committees; and Robert Benton. Walker did not immediately respond for a request to comment, and Benton declined comment when reached by phone.

Seth Jaffe, head of OGE’s ethics law and policy branch, said in an email Monday to the Trump defense fund lawyers that OGE “does not approve or disapprove of specific legal defense funds.” But he explained that the fund would be in compliance with government employee laws if it was established in line with the draft agreement.

OGE last fall issued an advisory opinion clarifying its nearly 25-year-old internal policy that it does not permit anonymous donations to legal defense funds. White House aides have previously said they do not intend to allow anonymous gifts for staffers who need help paying for their lawyers.

