An abandonment of institutional Republican donors for Trump’s legal cause would leave the campaign in a tough spot as it vows to launch a series of legal battles in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and elsewhere – a multifront effort that would almost certainly require the party to shell out tens of millions of dollars in legal fees.

Three GOP donors speaking to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations echoed an argument that has been raised by legal experts in recent days: Trump’s effort to retain power through the courts may result in a few battles won but it won’t win the war for his reelection absent some bombshell revelation…

Rather than invest money in the president’s legal crusade, several donors said they were instead shifting focus to Georgia, where Republicans Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue will both face runoff elections on Jan. 5, contests that will likely decide whether Republicans retain the Senate and can serve as a check on the Biden administration.

“Republican donors are about to seek extreme social distance from Donald J. Trump,” one donor told USA TODAY. “President Trump should…call off the legal dogs.”