Fund established to pay for Trump associates ensnared in Russia probes

A new tax-exempt political organization was formally established Tuesday to help pay the legal expenses of current and former associates of President Trump caught up in the web of Russia investigations.

According to a press release, the Patriot Legal Expense Fund was formed “to provide assistance paying legal expenses for eligible persons involved in the investigations by special counsel Robert Mueller, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, and any related inquiries by other House and Senate committees.”

Those eligible for the funds include employees, consultants, and volunteers from the Trump campaign, Trump transition team, and Trump administration “who have been involved in the investigations.”

President Trump himself is not eligible for the money — he’s been paying his own legal bills related to the Russia probe — and neither are any of his immediate family members.

Filings with the Internal Revenue Service show former congresswoman Nan Hayworth will be interim manager of the fund amid the search for a permanent manager.

The Office of Government Ethics released documents earlier this month about the formation of the fund, noting it won’t accept donations from a variety of donors, including lobbyists or foreign principals, and anonymous donors are prohibited.

Anyone who gives at least $200 over a calendar year must have their donations publicly disclosed.

Mueller’s wide-ranging, nearly year-long probe in Russian meddling in the 2016 election has so far yielded charges against Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, George Papadopoulos, Alex van der Zwaan, Richard Pinedo and 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies.

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