'Eye-opening': Leaked 'audit' shares staggering amount paid to Trump campaign manager

A manager of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has raked in an eye-popping $22 million for his work in just two years, according to a report Tuesday from the Daily Beast.

Chris LaCivita, one of two senior aides running the show, made $19 million just in 2022 as a “strategic consultant” to two Trump super PACs, according to campaign finance records.

After leaving the PACs to sign onto the campaign, LaCivita made contracts giving him commission cuts of Trump’s campaign spendings and set up lucrative retainers, the Beast reported.

That’s netted him another $3 million, with $5 million more expected before the election ends — including a $150,000 bonus if his candidate wins, according to the report.

Much of the Beast’s information came from a camp insider familiar with an “audit” ordered by Corey Lewandowski, a former campaign manager recently brought back by Trump, but who quickly fell out of favor amid a reported power struggle.

The Beast said the campaign disputed some of the numbers involving future payments to LaCivita, but gave no details.

LaCivita’s co-manager, Susie Wiles, works as a volunteer, the Daily Beast reported. His equivalent in the Kamala Harris camp is paid $13,442 a month.

The Beast reported that campaign finance experts said LaCivita’s pay was unusually high and raised questions about if the commission deals influenced decisions on campaign spending.

“I’ve never heard of a package that rich in a presidential campaign,” Trevor Potter, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, told the Beast. He said the amount was “eye-opening.”

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“This entire story is fabricated nonsense, cooked up by talentless grifters who lack the integrity and skill to contribute to President Trump’s continued electoral success,” LaCivita told the Beast.

“Every member of this team, myself included, has been fairly and responsibly compensated, with the priority of electing President Trump at the forefront of every strategic and financial decision we have made.

“While the individuals responsible for attempting this kamikaze operation are known, their self-serving attempt to defame me will not distract us from continuing to deliver for President Trump and winning this election.”

The “informal audit” ordered by Lewandowski came after he returned to Trump’s side and started asking questions about campaign spending.

“Corey was going around and acting like he was a Bain consultant,” a Trump worker told the Beast, referring to the global management consulting firm Bain & Company.

“People thought it was weird.”