Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., slammed President Donald Trump on Wednesday for saying he "could be" seeking $230 million from his own Justice Department as compensation for past investigations of him, calling it "terrible optics, particularly right now."
"We're talking about a quarter of a billion dollars transferring maybe to the president when we're in a shutdown posture," the senator told CNN.
When asked if Trump should "drop the ask," Tillis replied: "I think right now, it's really bad timing."
Trump made the "could be" comment when asked by a reporter Tuesday about a New York Times article that said he was seeking the money in connection with complaints he filed through an administrative claims process about past DOJ investigations.
"I don't know about the numbers," the president replied. "I don't even talk to them about it.
"All I know is that they would owe me a lot of money. But I'm not looking for money.
"I'd give it to charity or something."
A settlement for Trump would come from taxpayer funds.
The president acknowledged that the situation is unusual and said it's "awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself.
"In other words, did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you're paying yourself in damages?"
Trump maintains he was damaged by the inquiries.
The first, submitted in late 2023, challenges the investigation by the FBI and U.S. special counsel into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia, all of which Trump calls the Russia hoax.
The second, filed in mid-2024, accuses the FBI of violating Trump's privacy during a search of Mar-a-Lago and blames the Department of Justice for malicious prosecution over classified documents.
Asked whether DOJ officials would face conflicts in reviewing such claims, department spokesman Chad Gilmartin said, "In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials."
A claim form published by the news outlet states that Trump is seeking $115 million in the second claim and is alleging "intrusion upon seclusion, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process."
Trump has not been convicted in any federal case.
The two DOJ investigations led to indictments but no verdicts. Some proceedings have been delayed or paused because of legal and procedural issues, including DOJ policies regarding sitting presidents.
"As far as all of the litigation ... they probably owe me a lot of money, but if I get money from our country, I'll do something nice with it," Trump said.
The government shutdown has stretched into three weeks with no end in sight.
Tillis has publicly clashed with Trump before.
In June, Tillis voted against a Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, citing concerns about Medicaid cuts and fiscal impact on his state.
Trump publicly rebuked Tillis for that vote, threatened to back a primary challenger, and the two's relationship sharply deteriorated while the senator said he won't seek reelection next year.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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