Trump Cheats At Campaign Finance
American Bridge Filed A Complaint With The Federal Elections Commission Against Trump Alleging He Violated Federal Law By Effectively Campaigning For President Without Actually Declaring His Candidacy. According to CNN, “A Democratic group says it filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that former President Donald Trump is breaking federal law by raising and spending big sums to promote a likely presidential campaign in 2024 without formally declaring his candidacy.” [CNN, 3/14/22]
Federal Law Required Anyone Who Raised Or Spent At Least $5,000 On A Federal Campaign To Register As A Candidate. According to CNN, “The group, American Bridge, cites Trump’s statements to argue that he is running for the presidency while skirting federal campaign finance laws that require those who raise or spend more than $5,000 to register as a candidate. Candidates also are barred from coordinating their activities with super PACs.” [CNN, 3/14/22]
Trump: “We Did It Twice And We’ll Do It Again … We’re Going To Do It A Third Time.” According to CNN, “Among the statements highlighted by the Democrat group: Trump’s comments last month to the Conservative Political Action Conference that appeared to allude to a third presidential bid. ‘We did it twice and we’ll do it again … we’re going to do it a third time,’ Trump told attendees, the group said in its filings.” [CNN, 3/14/22]
Trump Said He Knew Whether He Would Run For President, But Would Not Say What That Decision Was Due To Campaign Finance Laws. According to CNN, “And last fall, American Bridge noted, Trump said this when asked about his 2024 plans: ‘I know what I’m going to do, but we’re not supposed to be talking about it yet from the standpoint of campaign finance laws.’” [CNN, 3/14/22]
Trump’s Leadership PAC Spent $100,000 A Week On Facebook Ads. According to CNN, “Trump’s network of political groups started the year with $122 million in cash reserves – an unheard of sum for an ex-President. And American Bridge noted that his leadership PAC, Save America, has spent heavily – pumping as much as $100,000 a week into Facebook advertising.” [CNN, 3/14/22]
The Campaign Legal Center Filed A Complaint With The Federal Elections Commission Accusing Trump’s Various Committees Of Concealing Legal Payments Of $7.2 Million. According to the New York Times, “A campaign watchdog group filed a formal complaint to the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday accusing Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign and related political committees of concealing payments of $7.2 million in legal fees by paying them through an unrelated shell company in violation of campaign finance law. At the center of the complaint, from the Campaign Legal Center, is the company that received the payments, Red Curve. The company is run by Bradley Crate, who is also the treasurer for the Trump campaign and four related political committees listed in the complaint, as well as for 200 other candidates and committees.” [New York Times, 4/25/24]
CLC Said That Red Curve Was Used “As A Conduit To Conceal Payments For Legal Services.” According to the New York Times, “In its complaint, the Campaign Legal Center said that the Trump political committees had used Red Curve, which did not appear to offer legal services, ‘as a conduit to conceal payments for legal services.’ The group filed its complaint hours after The Daily Beast published an article about the payments to Red Curve.” [New York Times, 4/25/24]
Trump Had His Leadership PAC Pay His Legal Fees, Including To A Lawyer Who Was Fined For Filing A Frivolous Lawsuit. According to the Huffington Post, “Save America, Trump’s leadership PAC, had $18.3 million heading into 2023, although as a declared candidate, that money cannot be used for his own election activity, although it can pay for such things as his criminal defense lawyers. Indeed, Trump spent $2.9 million on legal fees through the committee last month, including $491,365 to a lawyer who, along with Trump, was recently fined $1 million for filing a frivolous lawsuit.” [Huffington Post, 2/1/23]
Trump’s Campaign Paid His Private Club Mar-a-Lago $67,865 For Hosting His Presidential Announcement. According to the Huffington Post. “And through his own campaign committee, Trump is already showing that he is again willing to use donor dollars to enrich himself, as he did during his two previous campaigns. The Trump campaign paid Mar-a-Lago, where he held his announcement speech, $67,865 for catering and room rental, according to its FEC filing. Profits from the members-only club flow directly into his bank account.” [Huffington Post, 2/1/23]
Trump Was Indicted By Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. For Falsifying New York Business Records In Order To Conceal Unlawful Activity Before The 2016 Election. According to The New York County’s District Attorney’s Office, “Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. today announced the indictment of DONALD J. TRUMP, 76, for falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election. During the election, TRUMP and others employed a “catch and kill” scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects. TRUMP then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws. TRUMP is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with 34 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.” [New York County’s District Attorney’s Office, 4/4/24]
The Filing From DA Bragg Did Mention Several Laws Trump Allegedly Broke That The Business Fraud Was An Attempt To Conceal. According to Business Insider, “Assistant District Attorney Becky Mangold did tip the DA's hand slightly in the filing. Trump allegedly falsified business records to conceal violations of the following state and federal laws, the filing revealed.” [Business Insider, 5/16/23]
Trump Falsely Claimed The Federal Elections Commission “Threw Away” The Campaign Finance Violations Case Resulting From The Stormy Daniels Hush Money Payment. According to PolitiFact, “In remarks to reporters after court May 6, Trump also singled out the actions of the Federal Election Commission and the U.S. attorney’s office in New York’s southern district. ‘The FEC said they threw it away,’ Trump said, referring to the Federal Elections Commission. ‘They said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ Southern district didn’t bring the case. Nobody brought the case and then Alvin Bragg brought the case.’” [PolitiFact, 5/8/24]
Trump Found Guilty On 34 Felony Counts Of Falsifying Records. According to the New York Times, “Donald J. Trump was convicted on Thursday of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, capping an extraordinary trial that tested the resilience of the American justice system and transformed the former commander in chief into a felon. The guilty verdict in Manhattan — across the board, on all 34 counts — will reverberate throughout the nation and the world as it ushers in a new era of presidential politics. Mr. Trump will carry the stain of the verdict during his third run for the White House as voters now choose between an unpopular incumbent and a convicted criminal.” [New York Times, 5/30/24]