Adelsons give $500k to legal fund for Trump aides

GOP mega-donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson have donated $500,000 to a legal fund for Trump associates.

The donation was revealed in filings to the IRS by the conservative power couple. TPM published the tax documents.

Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust was established in February to help Trump aides pay for legal costs associated with the Mueller investigation. 

{mosads}“Ever since President Trump’s election, powerful opponents have resisted him at every turn,” the Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust website reads. “Many members of the President’s team, in order to have the legal counsel necessary to cooperate with these investigations, have been forced to incur heavy financial costs.”

The website did not say who specifically is receiving the legal assistance. Other donors include real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer, casino owner Phil Ruffin and petroleum and gas company Continental Resources Inc.

Trump allegedly expressed interest in contributing to his aides’ legal defense but was reportedly advised against doing so. 

Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust is a tax-exempt political organization, according to its website. 

The Adelsons are some of the largest and most influential donors to the Republican Party. In the primaries, they donated $30 million to conservative groups in September to help reelect Republican and pro-Trump candidates. They have long supported Republican candidates and causes. In November, Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.