Last week, the Washington Post reported that Trump recently had to pay a fine after the IRS reviewed his foundation’s contribution to Bondi’s PAC-registered nonprofits, it turns out, can not make political donations.
Advertisement
Both Trump and Bondi have denied any wrongdoing. You know what? When I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them, and they are there for me. When they call, I give. Bondi, who is now a top Trump supporter in Florida, decided not to pursue the case. I never even spoke to her about it at all.
Trump has downplayed his relationship with Bondi and stated he supported the candidate politically.
“Many of the attorney generals turned that case down because I’ll win that case in court”, Trump said of fraud claims against Trump University, according to the Post. I don’t think this is because the media is in the tank for either candidate, but is because there is a narrative: Trump’s a buffoon and dog bites man, while Clintons are just so damn suspicious and there’s a cloud over everything they do and whether it’s actually questionable or not, it sure has the appearance of being unethical.
Before a crowd of about 400 in a small gym at the Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center in southwest Orlando, Clinton defended the work done by his Clinton Foundation while taking a shot at the Trump Foundation’s $25,000 contribution to Florida Attorney General Bondi.
“The rules are clear: a tax-exempt charitable foundation can not support a political group”, the group’s executive director Noah Bookbinder said in a news release at the time of the complaint.
Trump has repeatedly alleged that Clinton participated in such “pay-to-play” deals with Clinton Foundation donors during her tenure as Secretary of State.
Donald Trump says that he had a “thoughtful and substantive” conversation with Mexico’s president on Wednesday as he kicks off a long-awaited speech on immigration.
The Washington Post reported last week that the IRS slapped the Trump Foundation with a fine over that $25,000 gift.
If Trump was using his money as he has said in his broad description of his successful manipulation of politicians, then he did something which is possibly illegal.
However in June, when the AP first reported the donation, a consultant for Bondi’s campaign said Bondi personally solicited the contribution from Trump. But when word came out that Florida was considering joining the lawsuit against Trump University, Trump quickly-and illegally-funneled $25,000 through the Trump Foundation and got it to Bondi pronto. Florida did not join the case, a decision the attorney general’s office said was made by subordinates, not by Ms. Bondi.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with giving a politician a discounted rate for renting a space, or making a contribution to a local chapter of one’s political party. The show touted Bondi as the first female attorney general of Florida and the only Republican woman attorney general anywhere in the country.
HORSLEY: Noah Bookbinder is executive director of a liberal watchdog group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which filed a complaint over the contribution back in March.
Advertisement
Gerber, 55, served in the Florida Legislature from 2000-2010, before losing the race for attorney general to Bondi by 13 percentage points in 2010.
