Since his first election as President of the United States in 2016, Trump has faced multiple federal investigations. On October 21, local time, former President Trump confirmed at the White House that the U.S. Department of Justice "owes" him a significant sum of money due to a series of investigations and lawsuits initiated against him by the government. Reports indicate that Trump has initiated an administrative claim procedure, claiming his rights have been violated in several federal investigations, and is seeking as much as $230 million in compensation. In his remarks, he emphasized that the final approval for this compensation will come from him personally, a situation that is unprecedented in the history of U.S. politics and judiciary. “This decision will ultimately go through my desk, and it’s rather strange to decide whether to award compensation to myself,” Trump stated, claiming that if he were to receive compensation, he would “do good things” with the money, such as donating to charities or for repairs at the White House. Negotiations with Subordinate Agencies for Compensation Since becoming President in 2016, Trump has been embroiled in multiple federal investigations. In 2017, his campaign team was accused of colluding with Russia and obstructing justice, with the investigation concluding in 2019. Prosecutors ultimately found no evidence, but proposed ten potential charges of obstruction of justice, without formally prosecuting Trump. In 2022, he faced charges for illegally storing and concealing classified documents, but the case was dismissed in 2025 based on presidential immunity, with no conviction. Against this backdrop, Trump formally submitted a complaint through the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) administrative claims process, which is usually a prerequisite for lawsuits. The FTCA permits individuals to seek compensation from the government for damages caused by "negligence or wrongful acts" of federal employees. Reports state that the first claim was submitted at the end of 2023, demanding compensation for several alleged rights violations, including investigations related to elections by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and special prosecutors. The second claim was filed in the summer of 2024, alleging that the FBI violated his privacy rights during a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2022 and claiming that the Department of Justice's prosecution for "improper handling of classified documents" after he left office was malicious. The claim document stated, “This malicious prosecution forced President Trump to spend tens of millions of dollars defending the case and his reputation.” From a legal perspective, an administrative claim is not equivalent to a lawsuit. The parties must first submit a request called “Standard Form 95” to the U.S. Department of Justice to seek a settlement without going to federal court. Only if the DOJ formally denies the request or fails to respond can the parties file a lawsuit. Thousands of such claims are submitted each year, but in Trump's case, this outcome is virtually impossible, as he is essentially negotiating with the executive department he leads. According to the DOJ manual, claims against the Department of Justice exceeding $4 million require approval from the Deputy Attorney General or Assistant Attorney General. The current Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, just happens to have been Trump's chief criminal defense attorney and stated during his confirmation hearing in February 2025 that the attorney-client relationship with the President “is still ongoing.” Meanwhile, the DOJ Civil Division Chief, Stanley Woodward Jr., represented Trump’s co-defendant Walt Nauta in the classified documents case and provided legal support to several Trump allies, including FBI Director Kash Patel. Conflict of Interest Several legal experts point out that Trump's legal claims present an obvious ethical dilemma. Former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin indicated that while the success rate for “malicious prosecution” claims is “extremely rare,” the conflict of interest in this case is evident. He noted that in all previous claims, the defendant has been the DOJ. However, now the person suing the DOJ is the President, whose appointees lead the department, including those who have defended him in these cases. “So, the conflict of interest is incredibly obvious and severe. I don't think there's any way to ethically justify this," Toobin remarked. Bennett L. Gershman, a professor of ethics at Pace University in New York, also finds the current situation “absurd,” emphasizing that “the ethical conflict is so fundamental and apparent that it doesn’t require legal scholars to explain.” He commented, “To have department officials decide whether his claims are valid, while those individuals serve him, and to have them determine whether he wins or loses, is simply inconceivable, almost unbelievable.” Last week, Trump seemed to acknowledge this conflict of interest while speaking in the Oval Office. He stated, “I have a lawsuit going very well, but when I became President, I thought, am I basically suing myself? It doesn’t look good, does it? I’m suing myself. But it’s a very strong, powerful case.” However, a spokesperson for Trump’s private legal team said that Trump is pushing back against the long-targeted “witch hunt” of the Russia investigation and what he refers to as the Biden administration's “politicization of the judicial system.” The White House, when requested for a comment, referred the issue to the DOJ. The DOJ stated that it would not comment on the handling of these claims. A department spokesperson added, "In any case, all DOJ officials will follow the guidance of professional ethics officers.” Notably, in July of this year, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi dismissed the department's chief ethics advisor.