WASHINGTON _ Allies of President Donald Trump have created a new fund to cover legal expenses for administration officials and associates caught up in Russia probes led by special counsel Robert Mueller and various congressional committees, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The project, named the Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust, will operate as a tax-exempt political organization under Section 527 of the tax code, according to documents posted to the website of the Office of Government Ethics. The fund, which is now running, was set up independent from Trump's re-election campaign, according to the person who described the process on condition of anonymity.
Trump and his family aren't eligible for the funds. Trump is paying his own legal bills related to the Russia probes rather than charging them to the campaign or the Republican National Committee.
Trump had earlier contemplated setting up his own version of a defense fund for friends and staff that he would help fund. It's unclear whether he plans to contribute to the new defense fund.
The fund won't support anyone charged with a crime, according to the documents. Mueller has charged 19 people, including former Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates, who pleaded guilty Feb. 23 and is helping investigators.
Nan Hayworth, a former House member from New York, will serve as interim manager of the fund. The fund can't accept donations from foreigners, lobbyists for other countries and anonymous sources.
The announcement comes as the campaign signaled Tuesday it was intensifying its efforts toward the president's re-election, naming Brad Parscale, the digital media director of the 2016 effort, as campaign manager.
