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Donald Trump Faces Questions Over “Pay-to-Play”
NYT: Donald Trump’s Donation Is His Latest Brush With Campaign FundExcerpt: “Donald J. Trump, who has repeatedly denounced pay-to-play politics during his insurgent campaign, is now defending himself against claims that he donated $25,000 to a group supporting the Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi, to sway her office’s review of fraud allegations at Trump University”. Since the donation turned out to be illegal (charitable foundations can not donate money to political candidates) and Trump had to pay a $2,500 fine plus reimbursing his foundation the entire $25,000 from his personal fund, maybe he thinks there is still some legal jeopardy.
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But it turns out there was more.
Bondi admitted Tuesday that she solicited the donation from Trump in 2013, but blamed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for the controversy. And he gave her what he might call a fantastic deal: While this year he has charged his campaign $140,000 every time it uses the mansion for an event, the Republican Party of Florida paid Mar-a-Lago less than $5,000 for Bondi’s fundraiser. Bondi decided not to get involved against Trump shortly after getting the donation, which the Associated Press said she requested.
The focus on Trump’s foundation also presents Clinton yet another opportunity to raise one of her campaign’s favorite subjects: Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns. Trump has long acknowledged his contributions to politicians on both sides of the aisle for his own benefit, and he’s surely not the only one who builds relationships this way.
Before she ran for attorney general, it’s unclear how Bondi’s life as an assistant state attorney in Hillsborough County intersected with that of Trump’s in Palm Beach or Manhattan.
Bondi’s spokesman disputes the idea that Florida’s attorney general was considering her own legal action against Trump University. But his fundraising efforts for her were extensive and varied: In addition to the $25,000 donation from his foundation and the star-studded Mar-a-Lago event, Trump and his daughter Ivanka each gave $500 to Bondi’s campaign in the fall of 2013.
TRUMP: I’ve just known Pam Bondi for years. Bondi, Florida’s Attorney General, chose to halt the investigation into Trump University, which raised questions of a conflict of interest among parties involved. “(Clinton) said he was under investigation by my office, at the time, and I knew about it.
In 2000, the New York State lobbying commission imposed a $250,000 (£187,000) fine after Trump dodged disclosing the extent of his lobbying of state legislators, the Times reported.
From there, the paper rips into Bondi for, presumably, expecting to evade scrutiny for engaging in the same pay-for-play tactics for which Hillary Clinton (and the Clinton Foundation) are receiving “blanket coverage”. So, she made the choice not go after Trump and to have those wishing to seek to take up lawsuits against his university to do so in NY. “I never spoke to her”.
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The IRS penalty wasn’t the first time Trump was fined for his political activities. But the Clinton campaign is digging into it aggressively after the IRS fine came to light and as Trump makes allegations of corruption by Clinton the focal point of his campaign. Recall that after the gift was received an official act occurred, the very act Trump had been seeking, namely the decision not to proceed with the case against Trump University.