Former President Donald Trump's Save America political action committee largely will finance the portraits of the 45th president and first lady Melania Trump for the Smithsonian.
A filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Saturday night showed that the PAC donated $650,000 last month.
Smithsonian spokesperson Linda St. Thomas told Politico that no PAC previously had funded a presidential portrait.
St. Thomas said that another $100,000 was donated by an undisclosed person to support the artists, events, and other fees associated with the two portraits.
"Two artists have been commissioned. One for each portrait," St. Thomas told Business Insider. "The names will be released closer to the reveal of the paintings.
"The creation of the portraits is underway. The timing of the artworks' reveal not determined yet."
The museum's National Portrait Gallery raised $750,000 from nearly 300 donors to pay for portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, St. Thomas said.
Dozens of donors contributed to portraits of former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, St. John told USA Today.
The gallery features official portraits of all former presidents. At present, an unofficial Trump photo portrait, from photographer Pari Dukovic, appears in the gallery's online display, Business Insider reported.
While some people might question whether a PAC should contribute to the commissioning of a portrait, Adav Noti, vice president and legal director of the Campaign Legal Center, said such federal committees are allowed to give money to charity.
He told USA Today that the FEC only would be interested in looking at whether the charity in question were some sort of front for the candidate.
"If not, that'd pretty much be the end of the inquiry," Noti said.
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