NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's political groups have spent more than one-quarter of a billion dollars to bolster Republicans in the final stretch of this year's midterm elections, an unprecedented amount for a sitting president that underscores the stakes on Nov. 3.
In total, Trump's flagship super PAC, MAGA Inc., has reported spending nearly $277 million since the beginning of September, according to new federal campaign finance filings. That includes major transfers to two affiliated groups that have been spending millions on advertising: $200 million to No Going Back PAC Inc. and $25 million to Safety & Affordability PAC Inc.
“It’s more than any president has ever spent, by far, on the midterms,” said Corry Bliss, a GOP Senate and House campaign strategist who was the executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, House Republicans’ super PAC in the 2018 campaign.
Trump had been under intense pressure to help Republican candidates as his party struggles to hold onto its slim majorities in the House and Senate. While the party in power almost always loses seats in midterm elections, Republicans are facing an especially challenging climb after Trump helped defeat several of the party's longtime incumbents and as he has been mired in low approval ratings amid deep voter frustration over persistently high costs and the unpopular war with Iran.
One bright spot for Republicans has been their huge financial advantage over Democrats this election cycle, aided by billionaires such as Elon Musk.
Trump-affiliated groups are now on track to spend potentially more.
So far, the three that have to report their donors have spent more than $256 million on advertising, according to AdImpact, which tracks media spending and reservations. That includes tens of millions of dollars in Texas to help embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton in his race against Democrat James Talarico.
Musk has also invested heavily in Texas, leading Talarico to accuse him of trying to buy the seat.
MAGA Inc. had more than $164 million cash left in the bank as of Oct. 14, meaning it still has plenty left to spend.
But the Trump team's decision to wait until late in the cycle to begin advertising has diluted their spending power. The groups are paying far higher ad rates because of the shrinking availability of air time — sometimes more than five times what they would have spent if they had acted sooner.
In a post on his social media site Tuesday, Trump said that he planned to spend "over 400 Million Dollars by Election Day,” including $300 million he said had already been spent on advertising, voter contact, rallies, tele-rallies, get-out-the-vote programs and efforts to prevent voters from cheating.
MAGA Inc. began September with nearly $416 million in the bank. It has continued to raise huge sums of cash from billionaire backers including businessperson Diane Hendricks, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman and casino magnate Steve Wynn.
FILE - Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Oct. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to attendees as he kicks off his campaign's bus tour during an event at the Rockwall Municipal Airport Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Rockwall, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
President Donald Trump waves as he walks to depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice's inspector general has declined to investigate the handling of the criminal case against a former Olympian cleared of accusations that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a letter Wednesday from the man's lawyers.
The internal watchdog told David Hearn's lawyers that the allegations of professional misconduct that they made fall outside its jurisdiction and are instead within the purview of the department's Office of Professional Responsibility, according to the letter, which urges Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume to reconsider the decision.
“Given the substantial public attention devoted to this matter, and the significant questions raised concerning the conduct of federal officials, declining independent review would risk undermining public confidence in the Department’s ability to police its own conduct. Such a result would be inconsistent with the purposes for which Congress established the OIG and would be a betrayal of its mission,” the letter says.
Hearn's lawyers this month had asked for investigations by the inspectors general at the departments of Justice and Interior, citing a broad variety of “incompetence and misconduct” that they said occurred during the criminal investigation and prosecution of their client. They say they believe they have identified potential crimes in the Trump administration's handling of the case, including witness tampering, obstruction of justice and the subornation of false testimony.
The Justice Department moved to dismiss the case last summer, saying newly produced evidence from the Interior Department showed that Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was not responsible for damage to the pool’s lining. A District of Columbia judge later permanently threw out the prosecution.
Hearn’s lawyers said in their initial letter to the watchdogs that the evidence that established their client’s innocence had been in the Justice Department’s possession for weeks and was “simply ignored.” They asked the inspectors general to investigate why prosecutors “rushed to indict” under what they said was political pressure from Republican President Donald Trump, who had launched a massive renovation project of the Reflecting Pool for the celebration in Washington of America's 250th anniversary.
In renewing their request for an inspector general investigation, Hearn's team argues that the watchdog is uniquely positioned — both in terms of tools and independence — to dig into allegations of misconduct against the government officials involved in the case.
They note that unlike the inspector general's office, the Office of Professional Responsibility, which also investigates some categories of professional misconduct, reports to the deputy attorney general and attorney general and has no obligation to publicize its work or report its findings to Congress.
Hearn's lawyers also say the inspector general is the right office to investigate the potential criminal misconduct they believe they have identified within the government, asserting that prosecutors elicited false testimony from a witness who testified before the grand jury and violated Hearn's civil rights by proceeding with a flawed criminal case. They say the inspector general should investigate whether U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whose office handled the case, violated ethical rules in a news conference when she announced charges against Hearn.
“In a case such as this one, when some of the allegations directly involve the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, there is substantial reason to question whether any meaningful independent review would occur” without an inspector general investigation, the lawyers’ letter says. “Your decision not to investigate would be consigning these serious allegations to oblivion despite the enormous public interest in the matter and the absence thus far of any accountability for the individuals involved.”
The U.S. attorney's office did not respond to a request seeking comment when Hearn's attorneys raised the allegations earlier this month. Asked at an unrelated news conference Wednesday about the Hearn case, Pirro cut off the question and called on another reporter.
Among Hearn’s attorneys is Michael Bromwich, who served as the Justice Department inspector general during the Clinton administration.
Associated Press writer Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is blocked off to the public, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial are seen from the Washington Monument, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
