Trump Refers FireAid ‘Scam’ to DOJ Prosecutors as Questions Continue Over $100 Million Fund Distributions

President Trump has referred the FireAid charity drive to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for investigation amid public concern that the funds raised have not reached their intended recipients.

This referral follows a formal request from California Rep. Kevin Kiley, who confirmed the referral on Twitter yesterday. “President Trump has responded to my call for an investigation into the FireAid concert, referring it to the Attorney General,” Kiley confirmed in a post on X/Twitter.

The FireAid event was a star-studded concert held in January 2025 that raised over $100 million to benefit Los Angeles wildfire recovery. But independent journalists and the public have questioned how the money was distributed. Organizers stated the funds were routed through 188 non-profit organizations as intended, rather than directly to recipients. The details of the distribution remain limited, with FireAid organizers citing a breakdown published by The Los Angeles Times.

Many of these recipient organizations have not responded to media requests for comments or transparency around the use of the grants. Among those are the Sonoma-based “After the Fire” and the California Native Vote Project, the latter of which returned the grant it received after public scrutiny. Media outlets and watchdogs note that some non-profits that received grants have missions only loosely based on fire recovery or serve communities outside of the immediate Los Angeles area. The Sonoma valley lies around 409 miles away from Los Angeles, north of San Francisco.

Organizers of FireAid have maintained that the charity drive was never meant to benefit individuals, but rather to partner directly with non-profits. Despite this defense, calls for transparency persist. Downstream charities such as After the Fire and the California Native Vote Project have not answered media inquiries from DMN or other media outlets, fueling further concern among donors and supporters who gave their money to support those who lost their livelihoods in the fires.

As the DOJ initiates its investigation, the pressure on FireAid and its partners to provide clear reporting and demonstrate the impact of their distributions continues to intensify. An independent audit of FireAid’s finances is expected by year-end, but lawmakers and donors are demanding faster answers.