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US president pledges $430K to cover legal bill of aides amid Russia probe

A photograph taken on October 2, 2017 shows a traditional Russian nesting doll "matrioshka" depicting the legendary guerilla leader Ernesto Che Guevara (C) among others including the Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and the US President Donald Trump in a souvenir shop in Moscow. (Photo by AFP)

US President Donald Trump has vowed to give at least $430,000 of his personal wealth to partially cover legal expenses of his White House aides and campaign staff questioned as part of a federal investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the country’s last presidential election.

A White House official told Washington-based news outlets on Saturday that Trump's financial pledge is not intended as a reimbursement to the Republican National Committee (RNC), which has spent a nearly identical amount on attorneys representing the president and his eldest son Donald Trump Jr.

The unidentified official further stated that the funds would be used to "to defray the costs of legal fees for his associates, including former and current White House aides."

According to local press reports, the official also underlined that Trump’s pledge did not prohibit him from raising the amount of the financial assistance for his aides in the future.

The development came amid ongoing investigations by special counsel Robert Mueller and the House and Senate intelligence committees into Russia's alleged attempts to interfere in the 2016 election, which yielded President Trump.

This is while US investigators have heard testimonies from a number of Trump associates, as the legal fees for staff members under examination is expected to hike.

Trump reportedly rejected to speak with Mueller's investigation team this week, claiming in a Fox Business interview published on Friday that "nobody's asked" him to do an interview.


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