A spokesman for Bondi’s office, Whitney Ray, earlier contacted FloridaPolitics to say some reporting on the issue has been in error, which he said stemmed from an Orlando Sentinel story that “erroneously reported that this office was reviewing the NY lawsuit’s allegations to ‘determine whether Florida should join the multi-state case'”.
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Bondi spokesperson Whitney Ray said, “While there was never an investigation, staff, doing due diligence, reviewed the complaints and the NY litigation and made the proper determination that the NY litigation would provide relief to aggrieved consumers nationwide”.
Four days after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi made that announcement through her spokesperson, she got a campaign contribution of $25,000 from Donald Trump.
Hall moved on to questions about Trump’s illegal donation to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi after she dropped a lawsuit against Trump University.
The Sept. 7 complaint implores the IRS to “investigate the Trump Foundation and, should it find that the foundation violated its tax-exempt status or other provisions of the tax code and federal law, take appropriate action”. Minimum donation: $3000. Trump charged the Florida Republican Party a mere $4,855.65 for the shindig, which a Bondi campaign staffer told The Huffington Post was a “small event on the lawn. featuring snacks and refreshments, attended by about 50 people”.
When asked about the donation made back in 2013, Trump’s campaign declined to comment.
“I think people don’t care”, Trump said Monday afternoon in OH of his tax returns, which he has not released. If Trump didn’t donate to get a better outcome, then he is making boasts that aren’t true about easily controlling politicians.
Bondi received a June 14 letter from the Florida Commission on Ethics, notifying her of the complaint, which is confidential by law until a probable cause finding is made or the complaint is dismissed.
However, Trump has denied ever having conversations with Bondi about his donations and Trump University.
Trump has downplayed his relationship with Bondi and stated he supported the candidate politically.
The watchdog group alleges Trump – as president of the foundation – gave the gift in order to influence Bondi as her office considered whether to pursue a probe against Trump University, the Post reports. And do you know what? “I have a lot of respect for her”.
In North Carolina on Tuesday, Bill Clinton said that he got “tickled the other day when Mr. Trump called my foundation a criminal enterprise”. “Based upon my personal experience and employment, I believe that Trump University was a fraudulent scheme, and that it preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money”. “When I need something from them two years later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me”.
October 15: Bondi’s office hands over documents to CREW indicating that it told reporters that it was never considering joining the NY lawsuit. But since Trump’s nonprofit is a private foundation, it’s not supposed to give money to political groups.
The Washington Post first reported last week that Trump’s charity paid an IRS penalty of $2,500 earlier this year, following media reports about the impermissible 2013 donation.
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In an all-too-ironic twist, reports on the donation to Bondi arrive amidst Trump launching “pay-to-play” accusations against Hillary Clinton. It’s also a question about a skill Trump says he has that he’ll bring to the presidency.
