>
Article snippet: President Trump has pledged to spend at least $430,000 of his own money to help cover legal fees for White House aides and campaign staff related to the probe into Russia's election meddling. A White House official told Axios and The Washington Post on Saturday that Trump's pledge is not meant as a reimbursement to the Republican National Committee (RNC), which has spent a nearly identical amount on lawyers representing the president and his eldest son MORE Jr. The official told Axios that the money would be used to "to defray the costs of legal fees for his associates, including former and current White House aides." The official said Trump's pledge did not preclude him from increasing the amount available for aides in the future, according to the Post. Trump's move comes amid ongoing probes by special counsel Robert Mueller and the House and Senate Intelligence committees into Russia's attempts to meddle in the 2016 election. Investigators have heard testimonies from a number of Trump associates, and the legal fees for staffers under scrutiny is expected to increase. Trump declined to commit to speak with Mueller's team this week, claiming in a Fox Business interview released Friday that "nobody's asked" him to do an interview. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2017 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc. Link to the full article to read more