Donald Trump's legal team reportedly sent a cease-and-desist in an attempt to stop a potentially damning investigation from being made public.
ProPublica recently published a lengthy report claiming that at least nine witnesses who have given evidence in the various criminal investigations involving the former president have since received financial perks such as severance packages or raises, or even new jobs or shares and cash from Trump's media company.
The article lists several examples of these benefits, including long-term aide Boris Epshteyn, who allegedly played a key part in Trump's inner circle's attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, being said to have had his pay more than doubled since he testified in the Georgia criminal case.
Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran is also said to have had payments to his law firm "dramatically increased" since he testified in the federal classified documents case, including $786,000 sent in just one day shortly after Corcoran's testimony.
A spokesperson for Trump said that any suggestion the 2024 team was engaging in any type of behavior that "may be regarded as tampering is absurd and completely fake."
ProPublica said that one of Trump's attorneys, David Warrington, sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the article not be published.
The cease-and-decease letter, seen by Newsweek, states: "If ProPublica proceeds with publishing an article intimating that the routine payment of salaries and invoices amounts to criminal conduct on the part of President Trump or others, the article would constitute defamation per se under applicable state law.
"The false imputation of criminal conduct based on the abstract commentary of unnamed lawyers without any supporting facts is reckless and shoddy reporting that would support a finding of actual malice."
Warrington's letter adds that if ProPublica and its reporters "continue their reckless campaign of defamation, President Trump will evaluate all legal remedies."
Other claims made in the ProPublica article include that former White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, who testified in the federal January 6 case, was given a seat on the board of Trump's social media company Truth Social after he was subpoenaed to answer questions under oath.
According to SEC filings, Scavino was also allegedly granted a $600,000 retention bonus and a $4 million "executive promissory note" paid in shares.
A Trump Media spokesperson said the article detailing the claims surrounding Scavino's benefits "comprise utterly false insinuations."
Trump's 2024 campaign head, Susie Wiles, was said to have received a 20 percent raise after she testified in the classified documents probe. Wiles' daughter was later hired to work on Trump's campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee.
Trump's team said the raise was the result of a change of contract and that her being a witness had nothing to do with it. Wiles' daughter, Caroline Wiles, told ProPublica that her mother's position did not play a role in her getting the campaign job.
Elsewhere, Jennifer Little, who was hired to work on Trump's defense in the Georgia election interference case, testified in the federal classified documents case after she reportedly told Trump he would face criminal charges if he did not return the sensitive material sought by the government under subpoena.
In the year since her March 2023 testimony, Little is said to have received $1.3 million from a Trump political committee, including a one-off $218,000 payment. The $1.3 million figure is more than double what she had earned as a lawyer the previous year, reported ProPublica.
Trump's campaign team said the increase in payments to Trump's attorneys was due to increased workload and being billed for multiple time periods at once.
ProPublica noted that it did not find evidence that Trump personally approved the pay increases or other benefits to the witnesses.
Trump's campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told ProPublica: "The 2024 Trump campaign is the most well-run and professional operation in political history.
"Any false assertion that we're engaging in any type of behavior that may be regarded as tampering is absurd and completely fake."
Update 06/04/2024, 10:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
