Former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have pocketed more than US$80 million in money raised for 'election defence costs'.
Trump raised more than US$175 million in the weeks following the November 2020 election, according to new federal filings.
The ex-president sent out fundraising pleas after the election in November and December last year, to ask supporters to chip in for his legal defence.
But according to the NY Times' analysis of election commission filings, only about US$10 million spent by Trump's campaign went to legal costs.
Another $50 million had gone towards online advertising, text-message outreach and a small television ad campaign.
So the Republican National Committee (RNC) ended the year with more than US $80 million in the bank as they were entitled to 25 cents for every dollar Trump raised.
Trump's Political Action Community (PAC) will also be entitled to 75 percent of the additional US $63 million sitting in Trump and his party's account, the NY Times reported.
"The money in Save America PAC can be used to benefit Trump in innumerable ways," Washington Post's National Correspondent Philip Bump said.
"Memberships to golf clubs, travels, rallies. Even payments directly to Trump himself, as long as he declares it income."
