Trump co-defendants struggle to pay legal bills for Georgia indictment

Allies and supporters of former President Donald Trump who were indicted in Georgia last month over their attempts to reverse the 2020 election result are fighting to stay ahead of their legal bills — turning to crowdfunding websites, legal defense funds and even members of Congress.

Ex-Trump attorneys John Eastman and Jenna Ellis, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and former Coffee County Republican Party Chair Cathy Latham have all launched fundraising drives on GiveSendGo since they were indicted Aug. 14 by a Fulton County grand jury.

Eastman, who urged former Vice President Mike Pence to decertify Joe Biden’s victory and alleged that 72,000 people had voted unlawfully in the Peach State, had raised $519,035 as of Friday afternoon — the most of any crowdfunding co-defendant.

Ellis, who is now backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, had raised $189,382, while Clark collected $58,059 and Latham had gotten $15,899.

Former New York City Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has launched his own legal defense fund, for which the former president is hosting a $100,000-per-ticket event at his Bedminster, NJ, golf resort next week.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) also floated the idea of setting up a fund to help pay legal fees for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, a former Republican member of Congress from North Carolina, but has not provided further information.

Trump, 77, agreed to cover legal fees for aides, advisers and other employees related to separate congressional and federal investigations of his attempt to overturn the 2020 election and his hoarding of national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

He has not pledged to bail out any of his Georgia co-defendants, telling Newsmax in a recent interview that he does not know “a lot of these people” and “they don’t have a lot of money.”

Former first sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump launched the Patriot Legal Defense Fund in July to cover their father’s costs, some of which may be transferred to the 18 other co-defendants, according to a source who spoke with CNN — which first reported on the co-defendants’ financial issues.

However, Ellis posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she had been “reliably informed Trump isn’t funding any of us who are indicted.”

Ellis was responding to a post from Conservative Political Action Committee chairman Matt Schlapp, who urged Republican voters to coalesce around Trump’s nomination and pay his legal costs.

“I don’t think she would be on the top of Trump’s list anyway (to help with legal bills),” a source close to Trump told CNN of Ellis.

Eastman, Ellis, Clark, Latham, Giuliani and Meadows were all indicted last month alongside Trump lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell — both of whom have asked to sever their case from the former president in a speedy trial.

On Thursday, Trump’s legal team also petitioned for separate proceedings, citing time constraints on providing a proper defense if their client goes to trial with Chesebro and Powell at the end of October.

Trump lawyer Ray Smith, 2020 campaign aide Mike Roman, ex-Kanye West publicist Trevian Kutti, Illinois pastor Stephen Lee, Georgia lawyer Robert Cheeley, bail bondsman Scott Hall, former Georgia GOP chairman David Shafer and Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still were also indicted.

Former Black Voices for Trump executive director Harrison Floyd served a few days in the Fulton County Jail after being booked on charges as well, but has since gotten an attorney and was released on a $100,000 bond Wednesday, according to records.

In all, the 19 defendants face a total of 41 counts, including racketeering, conspiracy, false statements and asking a public official to violate their oath of office.

The former president was booked and released on a $200,000 bond Aug. 24 after having his mugshot taken by Fulton County authorities.

Trump later fundraised off the image, posting for the first time to his former Twitter handle since he was kicked off the platform two days after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to all charges, waiving the right to an in-person arraignment that had been scheduled for Sept. 6,

The former president’s Save America Political Action Committee shelled out more than $21 million in legal fees over the first six months of this year, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.