FACT CHECK: Did Donald Trump Say He Will Not Be Paying His Lawyers Until They Convince The DOJ To Drop His Indictment?
A post shared on Facebook claims former President Donald Trump purportedly said he will not pay his lawyers until they get the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop his indictment.
Verdict: False
The claim originally stems from a Jun. 7 post made by a satirical Twitter account. There is no evidence Trump made the purported remark.
Fact Check:
Trump faces 37 criminal counts in relation to his classified documents case, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to federal court documents, Reuters reported. Trump was indicted Thursday and is expected to appear at a federal courthouse in Miami Tuesday, CBS News reported.
“Donald Trump just announced he will not be paying any of his lawyers a single cent until they convince the DOJ to drop the coming indictment,” the Facebook post purports.
The claim is false and originally stems from a Jun. 7 post made by @HalfwayPost, a satirical Twitter account. The account shared the exact same claim but did not provide a source for the purported remark it attributed to the former Republican President. The account, which is run by comedian Dash MacIntyre, identifies itself as posting “halfway true comedy and satire” via its bio.
BREAKING: Donald Trump just announced he will not be paying any of his lawyers a single cent until they convince the DOJ to drop the coming indictment.
— The Halfway Post (@HalfwayPost) June 7, 2023
Although the claim has been circulating on both Facebook and Twitter, Trump has not publicly addressed the purported remark attributed to him via his TRUTH Social account or 2024 campaign website. In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting the former Republican President made the purported remark.
Amid the false claim circulating online, Politico reported that Jim Trusty and John Rowley, two lawyers on Trump’s defense team, had resigned. (RELATED: Is This A Photo Of Donald Trump’s Jail Mugshot?)
Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment regarding the claim and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
This is not the first time a satirical claim has been promoted as true online. In late May, Check Your Fact debunked a social media post purporting Disney World is replacing the American flag with the LGBTQ+ pride flag in June 2023.
