Former President Donald Trump’s legal fees are skyrocketing, and have already surpassed $40m as he awaits indictment on a host of charges related to the January 6 attack and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The Washington Post reported the staggering total cost of the president’s legal expenditures on Saturday, citing numerous sources within Trumpworld. The mounting costs are only likely to grow more burdensome after Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith hands down an indictment in the coming days charging Mr Trump for crimes allegedly committed while he served as president. And then there’s Georgia: the former president and members of his legal team are expected to face potential charges as a result of Fulton County prosecutors’ investigation into their efforts to change the election results in that state too. A decision in that matter is expected later this month. Mr Trump’s Save America PAC, his primary vessel for outside spending, is expected to verify this total in a campaign finance filing on Monday, according to the Post. The Trump campaign has been reported in recent months to have begun funneling a greater share of donations directly to the PAC as his legal expenses mount. Complicating the issue: Mr Trump is apparently paying legal fees for a number of those within his inner circle who have been drawn into the investigation — which itself has become an issue that prosecutors are examining. A spokesman for the former president confirmed this, stating only that Mr Trump was paying for legal representation for potential witnesses in the cases against him “to protect these innocent people from financial ruin and prevent their lives from being completely destroyed” by a supposedly “unlawful harassment” campaign led by the DoJ. The Post’s scoop drew ire on Twitter from Trump loyalists, who decried the ongoing and growing prosecution of the former president as a politicised witch hunt. One of those loyalists was Senator JD Vance, who won a hard-fought election last year with close support from the former president throughout his primary and general election campaigns. “The “Trump paid $40m in legal fees” attack is so lame. I have good friends who did nothing wrong who had their legal fees paid by Save America PAC. Would you rather they throw all of their employees under a bus?” tweeted Mr Vance on Saturday. “The real story is that our system has become so corrupted that it costs millions of dollars to fight ir [sic],” he continued. “Anyone who thinks they wouldn’t do this to [GOP primary candidates Ron] Desantis, or [Tim] Scott, or anyone else, is kidding themselves.” Read More Chris Christie slams Trumps as ‘Corleones with no experience’ Nikki Haley urges McConnell and Feinstein to ‘walk away’ after recent health concerns Trump returns to first impeachment roots by saying Ukraine aid should be linked to Biden probes ‘Poetic’: Trump takes stage in Iowa to song about going to prison Joe Biden, America's oldest sitting president, needs young voters to win again. Will his age matter? Only four out of dozens of former Trump cabinet members say he should be re-elected

Andrew Tate made a name for himself through viral podcast appearances and sharing his candid, controversial opinions online. On 29 December, Tate was arrested in Romania alongside his brother Tristan and two Romanian suspects as part of a human trafficking and rape investigation. On 20 June, Tate and his brother Tristan were charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women, Romanian prosecutors said. Tate was reportedly wanted for questioning since April. People have since speculated that it was his cringe-worthy response to activist Greta Thunberg that gave his location away but this has not been confirmed. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter His video featured two takeaway pizza boxes featuring the address of a restaurant. The Romanian pizza joint, Jerry’s Pizza, has since been flooded with positive reviews following the news of Tate's arrest. The former kickboxer experienced his first taste of fame (outside of sport) on 2016's series of Big Brother, where Channel 5 bosses eventually booted him off. During his time on the show, set to return on ITV next year, there were reports of homophobic and racist tweets resurfaced, says The Sun. This was the start of Tate's Big Brother decline. Shortly after, footage of Tate striking a woman with a belt was shared with the press, where he threatened to "f***ing kill her" if she messaged another man. Tate was forced to leave the Big Brother house, as a Channel 5 spokesperson said at the time: "Channel 5 and the producers reached the view that Andrew's position as a housemate had become untenable after a video was brought to our attention by The Sun." Tate hit back at the clip, calling it a "kinky sex video" that was edited to make it look more sinister. He said the footage was fully consensual and the pair still remain friends. "This tape is a kinky sex video and we’re acting out a role play," Tate said at the time. "A longer version of the video shows us laughing and I’m hitting myself saying, 'It doesn’t hurt'. "I’m still friends with her and she’s in the UK with me now. I would never hit a woman." However, Tate claimed he was given the boot because of his game plan to wind his fellow housemates up until they snapped. "I think Big Brother is using this to get me out of the house as they’re scared for the other contestants' safety," he said. "They told me that if housemates hit me that I can’t hit back and have to wait for security, but I told them no way. I’m a calm person, but I’d defend myself. "I also didn’t write any racist tweets and I couldn’t find them on my social media. My dad’s black so that doesn’t stand up!" After a five-year hiatus, Big Brother will return to screens this year after being revived by ITV. The reality show aired for 18 years in the UK until it was axed in 2018. It will return on ITV2 and new streaming platform ITVX, with its famous house featuring a "contemporary new look". Paul Mortimer, director of reality commissioning and acquisitions and controller of ITV2, ITVBe and CITV, said: “This refreshed, contemporary new series of Big Brother will contain all the familiar format points that kept viewers engaged and entertained the first time round, but with a brand new look and some additional twists that speak to today’s audience. “We’re beyond excited to bring this iconic series to ITV2 and ITVX where it should especially engage with our younger viewers.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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