The targets of Trump's DOJ are already paying a price

Consider This from NPR

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🗓️ 14 October 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

At President Trump’s public urging, the Justice Department has brought criminal charges against some of his perceived political enemies. NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson explains that for those targeted, a prosecution can mean steep financial and emotional costs, even if they ultimately win in court.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Defending yourself against criminal prosecution can get expensive. Just ask President Trump.
0:06.4	Legal fees. I have $100 million worth of legal fees. And they're doing good. At least I have good lawyers.
0:14.0	That's Trump at a rally in 2023. At the time, he was facing indictments in two federal cases, plus state charges in New York and Georgia.
0:23.2	Trump, of course, is personally wealthy.
0:25.9	Plus, his political action committees contributed tens of millions of dollars to his legal defense.
0:31.0	He even fundraised off news of those indictments.
0:34.0	The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those
0:39.6	who seek to destroy it. So the legal defense wasn't financially ruinous to Trump personally,
0:45.6	but it cost a lot, even though he hasn't faced criminal fines in any of those cases. The Justice
0:51.6	Department walked away from the federal cases against Trump when he was
0:54.7	re-elected. The Georgia case has stalled. And he was convicted in the New York case, but his sentencing
1:00.4	came after he was re-elected, so he received no fines or prison time. But he won't get back all those
1:06.7	fees paid to his lawyers. That's just how the justice system works.
1:16.3	Now, at Trump's public urging, the Justice Department has brought criminal charges against some of his perceived political enemies, like former FBI director James Comey.
1:21.0	My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal
1:26.9	judicial system and I'm innocent.
1:29.5	So let's have a trial.
1:34.4	Consider this. Even if the targets of Trump's Department of Justice are ultimately vindicated in court,
1:41.4	facing a prosecution comes with real costs.
1:49.0	Thank you. in court, facing a prosecution comes with real costs. From NPR, I'm Melissa Nadwarnie.
1:53.5	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
1:58.3	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
	...

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