Lawsuit Demands Answers After Agencies Go Silent on FOIA Requests About the President’s Attempt to Pocket Taxpayer Money

Washington, D.C. — Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit today after the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and the Treasury refused to release any records related to President Trump’s stunning effort to obtain a $230 million taxpayer-funded payout for investigations into his own misconduct — and the compromised process reportedly underway inside the DOJ to evaluate his demands.

Despite multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted by Democracy Forward on October 23, 2025, and a request for expedited processing on November 18, 2025, neither DOJ nor Treasury has produced a single substantial record or issued a legally required determination.

News reports, as well as comments from the President, have raised concerns that senior DOJ officials — including individuals who previously represented Trump and others implicated in the underlying investigations — may be involved in reviewing or approving the president’s push for a massive government payout. The lawsuit addresses the concerns that the public has no clarity on what President Trump claimed, who is reviewing his claims, or whether agency leadership, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney, is preparing to sign off on a self-enrichment scheme.

“People in America deserve to know whether the Department of Justice is entertaining the president’s request to cut himself a taxpayer-funded $230 million check,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “If senior officials are processing this grift behind closed doors — including officials who used to represent him — that is not just bad optics, it is a direct threat to government integrity. President Trump may think he can invoice people for the consequences of his own actions, but this country still has laws, and we demand they be enforced.” 

The lawsuit asks the court to compel the DOJ and Treasury to immediately search for and release all non-exempt records, provide an index for any withheld materials, and stop stonewalling the public on an issue that strikes at the heart of government ethics and accountability.

The case is Democracy Forward Foundation v. U.S. Department of Justice et al., and the legal team in this case includes Anisha Hindocha, Daniel McGrath, and Robin Thurston.

Read the complaint here.

In addition to the lawsuit, Democracy Forward today sent a letter to the Office of the Inspector General at DOJ, urging the office to launch their own investigation into this matter.