“When they call, I give,” Donald Trump proudly said at a GOP primary debate. “And you know what, when I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me.”
At the time, it was refreshing for a presidential candidate to hammer on political corruption. And in an enigmatic way, Trump even used this corruption argument to convince voters that “nobody knew the system better” than him – which is why as president, he would clean it all up.
But that statement seems to look a lot sketchier when voters have an actual example – at least that’s what this new Hillary Clinton ad is hoping to show. The video highlights Trump’s alleged “pay-to-play-donation to Pam Bondi,” the Florida attorney general.
A newscaster then defines that “pay-to-play donation.” She says, “His charitable foundation gave a political gift – which you are not allowed to do – to the Florida attorney general.”
This allegation came after a 2013 Orlando Sentinel story resurfaced, which found that Trump’s foundation donated $25,000 to Pam Bondi’s reelection campaign – just as her office was deciding whether or not to prosecute Trump University, which they ultimately did not do.
“He gave, and got what he wanted,” the ad ends. “Donald Trump: Pay-to-play expert.”
Politico reported that the Attorney General’s office became interested in the foundation “based on troubling transactions that have recently come to light.” That could mean a few things – according to reporting from the Washington Post for example, tax records show Trump hasn’t donated to his own charity since 2008, and at one point spent $20,000 of charity money on a six-foot-tall statue of himself (that’s going to make a great political ad).
So what’s the moral of the story? If the last few weeks of political news have taught us anything it’s this: If you are going to run for president, you would be better off not having a foundation.
At the time, it was refreshing for a presidential candidate to hammer on political corruption. And in an enigmatic way, Trump even used this corruption argument to convince voters that “nobody knew the system better” than him – which is why as president, he would clean it all up.
But that statement seems to look a lot sketchier when voters have an actual example – at least that’s what this new Hillary Clinton ad is hoping to show. The video highlights Trump’s alleged “pay-to-play-donation to Pam Bondi,” the Florida attorney general.
A newscaster then defines that “pay-to-play donation.” She says, “His charitable foundation gave a political gift – which you are not allowed to do – to the Florida attorney general.”
This allegation came after a 2013 Orlando Sentinel story resurfaced, which found that Trump’s foundation donated $25,000 to Pam Bondi’s reelection campaign – just as her office was deciding whether or not to prosecute Trump University, which they ultimately did not do.
“He gave, and got what he wanted,” the ad ends. “Donald Trump: Pay-to-play expert.”
Donald J. Trump Foundation Under New Scrutiny in New York
Just a day before this ad was released, news broke that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has opened up an investigation into the Donald J. Trump foundation, “to make sure it’s complying with the laws and regulations governing charities in New York.”Politico reported that the Attorney General’s office became interested in the foundation “based on troubling transactions that have recently come to light.” That could mean a few things – according to reporting from the Washington Post for example, tax records show Trump hasn’t donated to his own charity since 2008, and at one point spent $20,000 of charity money on a six-foot-tall statue of himself (that’s going to make a great political ad).
So what’s the moral of the story? If the last few weeks of political news have taught us anything it’s this: If you are going to run for president, you would be better off not having a foundation.