By Ryan Denson
A new report from RealClearPolitics is
detailing what might be another illegal endeavor of Donald Trump at the behest
of his “charitable foundation” (which has already been caught illegally using
funds to pay off lawsuits).
From 2011 to 2014, leading up to his
presidential announcement (and speculation in 2012), the Trump Foundation
donated nearly $300,000 to various conservative groups and organizations.
IRS laws clearly state that
charity executives may not use a foundation’ funds to finance personal
endeavors that benefit said executives.
In 2011, Trump met with South
Carolina conservative activist Oran Smith with the intent for, as Smith puts
it, “laying the foundation for a … campaign.” After the meeting between the
two, Trump, using foundation money, donated $10,000 to Smith’s organization,
the Palmetto Family Council.
In many cases, this flow of money corresponded to prime speaking slots or endorsements that aided Trump as he sought to recast himself as a plausible Republican candidate for president.
Although sources familiar with the thinking behind the donations cautioned that Trump did not explicitly ask for favors in return for the money, they said the contributions were part of a deliberate effort by Trump to ingratiate himself with influential conservatives and brighten his political prospects.
Talk about real pay-for-play.
Using Foundation money to monetarily
influence, even slightly, those who could (and would) catapult his political
career (a personal endeavor) is still illegal under IRS laws – no matter how
many technicalities Trump and his lawyers want to argue.
In almost all instances, these
conservative organizations, with considerable political influence, invited the
billionaire mogul and provided endorsements after he donated thousands of
dollars to their cause.
Another high profile donation was
made to The Family Leader organization, a socially conservative think tank that
featured Trump as a keynote speaker at one of their most prestigious events in
2013.
Trump was featured as the keynote
speaker after giving $10,000 like he did with the Palmetto Family Council.
RealClearPolitics points out that Trump may have broken IRS rules by giving
directly to the organization and not its affiliated nonprofit branch, thus
pitting Trump in a “double whammy” on unethical, illegal political meanderings.
After Trump donated $100,000 to
Citizens United, a Koch-backed political entity:
In April 2014, when Citizens United hosted a “cattle call” of would-be Republican candidates for president in New Hampshire, Trump was there. In January 2015, at Citizens United’s Freedom Summit in Iowa, Trump was again on the program.
This won’t bode well, especially for
a guy who’s “under audit” from the IRS. We now know why, apparently.
While Republicans try to find
something, anything, to pit Clinton against her foundation, the GOP is ignoring
the obvious abuses of Trump and his.
This double standard from the right should
not surprise anyone – their candidate is failing and they need to divert any
negative attention away from him. This is the party of “Christian values” at
work.
