Story highlights The Washington Post reported four separate donations

The checks total more than $250,000

Washington (CNN) Donald Trump's campaign manager sought to downplay concerns raised by a report Tuesday that the Republican nominee's personal philanthropy used more than $250,000 to litigate lawsuits against opponents of his business interests.

Kellyanne Conway said she's not worried about the Washington Post report that said on four occasions the Donald J. Trump Foundation cut checks to settle suits in a controversial and potentially illegal tactic, given that the foundation is funded primarily with other donors' money, not his own, according to the Post review of legal documents and interviews.

"Trump is using his charities to benefit his businesses, which is against the law," Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold told CNN's John Berman and Kate Bolduan of his report.

The most substantial donation was $100,000 to Fisher House, a veterans' charity, as part of a settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida, home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club.

Conway defended the donation as a settlement because of a flag Trump wanted to raise at the Mar-a-Lago.

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