Drain the swamp!
9
Just shows that money never guarantees good breeding.
Is there no bottom to which this repulsive family will not sink?
20
This man is a dirtbag. Every single thing is done to advance his personal wealth. He will go down as the worst president since Harding, but will decimate the country in a way not seen since Jackson. Only he and his family (and cronies) won’t be impacted. Shame on Trump voters. Shame.
19
"He that is of the opinion that money will do everything.......may well be suspected of doing everything for money."
Benjamin Franklyn
Clearly, Don the Cons avarice..........is derived from his infantile, narcissistic, state of perpetual want and erotic self interest..........THUS the emotionally crippled POTUS is able to rule from a fantasy world of unlimited entitlement and exploitation.......with the Special Prosecutor the only ,apparent,threat to his despotic regime !
Millions of voters and self serving legislators ,either complicit or"HELPLESSLY"mesmerized by Trumps political strategy of (catch me if you can) "three card monte" !
6
Lock. Them. Up!
14
Our President is a flagrant criminal and surrounds himself with the same.
12
One thing about life in Trumpistan, the dear leader has no shame and nothing ever causes him to pause and apologize. Easily one of the worst presidents in history, one of the most corrupt ; yet the majority in congress sit on their hands or applaud him. A bloodless coup has transpired and our great democracy has entered a very dark phase indeed.
11
Grifters gonna grift. It's unfortunate to say the least that the country has to endure the metamorphosis of a vibrant democracy into nothing more than a cash cow for this tin horn despot and his despicable family. His cowering enablers in the GOP have next to nothing to say (unless they're not seeking reelection) about his misrepresentations; exaggerations and daily outright lies. Each day they remain silent America is diminished a little more and our status as the leader of the free world becomes more tenuous. That these threats come from our elected president is a nightmare.
11
The Trump Foundation? What an oxymoron. He doesn’t have a single charitable bone in his body.
12
He's a very, very bad man.
9
In the end, wasn't it the IRS that got Capone?
13
Still hoping one of these numerous lawsuits will bring his tax returns into the open....
4
Empty mind, Empty heart and sadly no surprise to many of us. But I dread what will discovered in the miserable hubris left behind by this presidency. Years of repair will be in order. Let us hope that the Clinton, Gates and other real foundations are still in business to help us recover.
9
It seems to me that anyone who lacks empathy for others would not be charitable in nature. Trump doesn't support the arts, except maybe the WWF, and has no appreciation for art unless it glitters or is his painted face. He used veterans with the pretext of donating to them. The sham is the man who makes promises he has no intention of keeping.
Charity may begin at home but not with Trump. Charity to him is using other peoples' money to fund what he is too cheap to pay for himself. Maybe if we could see his taxes we would know how cash poor and in debt he actually is.
In the meantime those of us familiar with his character for years know that he views people who spend their own money as 'suckers'.
I can only hope that the true Donald is revealed once in for all before further damages to this country and rule of law change us irrevocably. This is a good start.
4
Where has the NY attorney general been all these years while this fraudulent shell violated tax laws? No staff and the Board hasn't met in 20 years. Hello??
7
Allow me to boil down pertinent points from this opinion that rankle me.
1. For instance, the largest reported donation the foundation has made — $264,631 — was used to refurbish the fountain in front of Mr. Trump’s Plaza Hotel in New York.
2. The Trump Foundation is “an empty shell,” the suit says, with no employees and no oversight by its board of directors, which has not met for nearly 20 years.
3. ... Mr. Trump held a fund-raiser on behalf of military veterans,..The money was then ... [converted] into illegal campaign contributions.
Consider me rankled.
3
Don’t forget that anything Trump donates to his foundation is tax deductible. So American taxpayers are subsidizing all of this financial chicanery.
5
This is so sordid. It makes the tawdry behavior with Stormy Daniels seem fairly benign. In any large organization there is going to be some unsavory stuff, but in Trump's world and among his affiliates, it's consistently this type of bad behavior over and over again. It has been this way for decades with Trump.
When one compares this to the Obama administration, it seems all the more surreal; how can this be real? In fact, it is becoming hard to remember what integrity and high ethical standards look like. Trump's "culture" debases all of us. We must not forget that his kind of ethos is unacceptable and never allow anything like it to be elected again.
5
At what point can we drop the pretense that Trump is not seriously mentally disturbed and doing great harm more often than not?
A modified check list of behaviors characteristic of sociopaths (healthyplace.com):
1. Doesn't follow the rules. Believes that the rules, laws, and norms that exist for the safety and wellbeing of everyone in society don't apply to him.
2. Doesn't care about the consequences of his/her actions. Nothing stops him from doing what he wants to do.
3. Grows bored very easily. A sign of a sociopath is the need for change, whether it's new homes, new locations, new relationships, ..
4. Impulsivity. Acts quickly and without deliberation. No time or concern for assessing hazards
5. Only concerned for the present moment, the now & lives in the present purely for pleasure, excitement, and instant gratification.
6. Careless and reckless behavior. Does what pleases him and what will get him ahead. He couldn't care less who gets hurt or what the consequences of his actions are.
7. Unpredictable, quite unreliable & won't apologize, either.
8. Acts immorally. Cheating, lying, stealing, violence, and more are part of who he is and what he does
9. Everything is a game. Manipulating, calculating behavior is part of the game, & they must win
10. Has the reputation of a loose cannon
Trump looks like a 10 out of 10 to me--but evidently not to the GOP, Fox, and his fans. What is it ever going to take for them to wake up--or are they on their way to sociopathy too?
12
You have to give Donald Trump some credit though.
When it comes to money, he and his equally shady offspring are consistently corrupt. Even the word charity takes on a new meaning in their hands, taking from the American people in the form of tax cuts, and giving to you know whom.
2
Trump is having a Richard Nixon moment. It's the one when he feels compelled to say: "I am not a crook." Like Nixon, Trump has come to Jesus after he was caught redhanded. Trump hasn't put two and two together on what these charges mean to him and his claim of privacy. Now all of those hidden tax records, his company's books and all of his LLCs are evidence-in-fact. Bye-bye Trump . . .
1
Dear Republicans and Trump Supporters,
“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
(Søren Kierkegaard)
Congratulations, you qualify as both
Signed,
An Independent Voter
(who plans to be independent from the Republican Party from now on)
20
A grifter doesn't rise to the occasion (as many had hoped that Trump would when he became President), but continues to wallow in the trough. His is an immutable DNA - take, take, and keep taking.
3
I don't understand this quote from the article: "Mr. Trump lashed out at the lawsuit on Twitter, attacking “sleazy New York Democrats”"
How can you call that an attack when trump is saying the democrats are more honorable than himself? Because surely trump's behavior/character is many rungs below sleazy. If only trump were merely sleazy, we would all be better off.
1
Why is it that none of the litany of white collar crimes that Trump has committed never gets to felony? Why isn't there outright fraud here? They have a charity, which has no contributions since 2008, and people have given gifts to this charity, haven't they?
Just like Trump University, people spent money and received nothing. Why is it not fraud? Trump real estate and casinos had money laundering ties. Why is that not a felony?
The shocking thing to most Americans is what this guy gets away with. And then he pardons others who are white collar criminals saying selective prosecution. Why? Because no one gets jail time for this stuff. Trump should know ... he gets away with everything.
Why isn't violation of emoluments being fought out in criminal court? Why isn't it bribery? In the end, it looks like some petty crime, which is handled through a fine and a promise not to do it anymore. Why would the framers have put it in the constitution as a strict prohibition if it weren't meant to trigger impeachment?
The truly crazy thing is that all the conspiracy theorists painted a Clinton criminal mob, bumping off enemies, and that crazy group has elected and supports a real mobster.
11
Grifters maybe not gonna gift, but they sure gonna grift.
More to the point, they will pursue their tack of attack by accusing undefined imaginary groups like “sleazy New York Democrats” for doing exactly what the real, well-defined, crooked entities such as the Trump Foundation perpetrate as a matter of discouragingly regular routine.
Oh boy, this grifting has become morbidly depressing, and there's no relief in sight as the opposition Party simply seems to let is all slide under the bridge, unchallenged.
3
Trump rides roughshod over the legalities standing in his way, convinced he can put the fix in when the sheriff finally catches up to him.
He is working mighty hard to put the Department of Justice into his back pocket, and he always broadcasts just where he is pushing towards. His latest hints leave little room for confusion; he is a tyrant complaining about the "Deep State" obstacles standing in his way (Constitution of the United States). He has already, at least for the moment, neutralized the Congress.
5
Kudos to the New York acting AG for bringing the civil suit. Unfortunately an FEC controlled by Republicans will not do anything with the referral except perhaps imitate their ultimate boss by tearing it up. The IRS may well recommend criminal action, but that politically sensitive referral likely has to be approved by the political appointees at the top, and so if anything happened there I’d be surprised too. You’d need a special prosecutor because DOJ couldn’t be expected to do anything when political appointees Trump installed supervising the career people who would work the case are highly unlikely to do a fair job with the criminal referral if they get it.
4
What an amazing fraud. No staff and the board hasn't met in 20 years? Money used for political purposes? I hope that this...tax evasion just like with Capone...is what finally nails Trump. He should be in jail.
32
A reminder that anytime '45' is pointing a finger at someone, he's actually pointing three fingers at himself because he's likely doing something similar, but three times worse.
16
"My good sir, I'll happily disclose my tax returns tomorrow, for supreme executive power today!"
Just how gullible does a person have to be to donate money to a "charitable" foundation in any way controlled by Donald J. Trump? The man's greed, arrogance and immorality are the stuff of modern American legend! I mean, at least Bernie Madoff's terrible reputation didn't precede him when he was hustling people (a lot of Madoff's political donations had to be returned by various liberal politicians).
Now if a Trump supporter just likes what the guy stands for, I can at least conceive of surrendering some amount of money for a hat or whatever. That's just the price of admission to Trump's filthy little show. But thinking Trump, of all people, is running a legitimate charitable organization? Yeah, him and Martin Shkreli... always looking out for the little guy.
17
I used to always say, I need to live long enough to raise my kids so they can take care of themselves" Well I've done that. Now I say, "I need to live long enough to see Trump in jail". Dang I'd be sad to miss that.
32
Just a little swamp drainage from an unexpected, different, newly-discovered-and-now-opened spigot.
13
The Clinton foundation did a huge amount of good with negligible self dealing. The Trump foundation did a huge amount of self dealing with negligible good. The reason they get compared is due to journalistic addiction to equivalency. It’s the same impulse that gave equal weight to hundreds of peer reviewed vaccine studies saying one thing and one flawed study saying the opposite.
18
FINALLY!
The AG no doubt took every cautious step to be absolutely certain. The necessary criminal referrals to Our IRS and Our FEC are important additions to this racketeering corrupt organization's illicit actions.
This demand the highest possible awareness: good patriots' charitable contributions are being denigrated by these criminals. We The People allow certain tax advantages for charitable donations, and these crimes have called into question the integrity of our system. Steps must be taken, preferably by Congress, to shore up the full faith and credit that has been damaged.
11
When I read about how Javanka went behind Cecile Richards' back to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America's board members to try to pitch their "abandon abortion/get more federal funding" deal she had rejected, I was struck by the ignorance of how non-profits work this move demonstrated. Seeing how the Trump "Foundation" has been run goes a long way to explaining that.
8
The new WH...sleaze, slime, corrupt...a mirror image of who is occupying the WH!
8
Trump is dirty. The end. Republicans in congress will not act because they are afraid of losing their seats. If the situation were reversed, there would be an impeachment, and I believe many Democrats, liberals, and independents would join together with all Republicans to remove such a dirty president from office. However, because Trump claims to be a member of their team, republicans will only double-down on this insanity, and vote out any republican who even considers mumbling a weak criticism of this awful man. There is literally no way to respect these people anymore. They are complicit, and in the end they will be left with nothing but their hatred for Obama and Hillary as Trump and co, slink out the back door of the White House with our treasury, and perhaps our democracy. But, you know - Emails! Comey! Obama! Just, WOW.
17
"... from bankrupt casinos to phony universities — never really pretended to be in the public interest."
Public Interest. Public Trust. Public Service. Anyone care to comment on these once noble ideals? Please comment below.
5
Some of this reminds me of Leona Helmsley. Only in this case, laws are just for the "little people." I'm thinking he belongs in the club with Mussolini, Ceausescu and Saddam at this point.
14
Trump’s donations to his sons school was on his foundation’s accounts. An account he has not donated to since 2007. This means Trump used other people’s money to donate to his sons ritzy private school.... is that where donors thought their donations went?
Everything this family does is sleazy and dirty. Grifting is their coda
20
Please name any other president who has done so many questionable things. You named some of them, but the others include his verbal attacks on the press, or anyonoe who dares to criticise him. Such a person is unfit for political office. The scandal is that Trump was elected to the highest US office. The quicker he leaves this office, the better the world will be.
18
The most disturbing statement in this Opinion is that the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission SHOULD trigger further investigation.
"Should"?
How could there possibly be ANY question that the Trumps fraudulently and repeatedly reported tax deductions campaign donations year after year?
What a total insult to the hundreds of millions of law abiding citizens who work hard and struggle to pay their taxes.
15
Looking forward to this becoming the equivalent of the tax evasion charges against Al Capone.
With the added benefit of including Junior, Eric and Ivanka.
13
I remember a time in not so distant history when telling the truth mattered, when what the neighbors thought could affect my life, when how I treated others affected how others treated me, when lashing out at other people was a symptom of a weak person, when compensating for personal failings by hurting innocents was considering a fatal character flaw. When did all of that stop mattering?
18
The IRS budget should be beefed up in order to crack down on tax fraudsters and evaders as Mr. Trump. While the GOP has been reducing taxes mostly on rich Americans, and blowing up the deficit, they've also been starving the IRS of funds. How can a government function without properly collecting taxes. Congress should also enact laws to reduce tax evasion by shell companies including the ones owned by politicians, campaign mega-donors and lobbyists. As well, it should be mandatory for political candidates and politicians with no exceptions to release their tax returns. It is also the responsibility of the media to expose politicians who engage in fraud and illegal activities. Otherwise, the government is likely to become more corrupt.
7
No surprises here. Just what one expects. I wonder how those tax audits are progressing?
5
Good Lord, this is reminiscent of that wonderful line in the song from the old musical, "Oliver", sung by Fagin:
"Charity's fine, subscribe to mine,
You've got to pick a pocket or two."
Actually, between Fagin and Trump, I'll take Fagin. At least he can sing.
20
Keep it simple, Democrats. Run adds that say, "Donald Trump raised charity money for veterans, and spent on a giant portrait of himself."
And say it over and over and over. Eventually, it will soak in.
42
This brings to mind the tax-related downfall of Al Capone. I can only hope for a similar outcome.
21
So does this does this latest expansion of the NY Times Inquisition against any thing Trump may have done or been associated with (because he dared to fight back against the colluding with democrats major media) … does this latest "news" mean that the journalist and pundit reputation assassins are going to going to put all the fake and self serving 'charities' of the nation's Left wing and the rest of the 1% under a microscope? For example Al Gore's 100 million dollar greenwashing seal of approval insult to real environmentalism and all the tax shelter charity scams of the IT billionaires? Didn't think so! The media elite part of the 1% is too greedy for advertising money to risk making this most of our corporate royalty and half of our political class angry.
1
So does any of what you just said mean that we shouldn't be upset about the Trump Foundation breaking the law? Not really.
All you're really saying here is: the 1% are all crooks. But trump is my crook. And since you're not chasing all crooks, you can't chase any crooks. And anyway Trump isn't a crook, except insofar as they're all crooks.
I think Freud called this kettle logic. Here's how Wikipedia explains it:
"Freud relates the story of a man who was accused by his neighbour of having returned a kettle in a damaged condition and the three arguments he offers.
1. That he had returned the kettle undamaged
2. That it was already damaged when he borrowed it
3. That he had never borrowed it in the first place
7
Why must every Trump apologist deflect any criticism of the POTUS by point to Clinton, Obama, Bush, and so many others, when it is HIS actions that are under scrutiny? Bad behavior by others does not excuse or enable bad behavior, lies, and ethical indiscretions on his part. You wouldn't accept that kind of behavior from your children ("I know you are, but what am I?"), why should we accept that from you?
2
Wow! Here you go again. That others may have cheated whitewashes Trump? You've got to be kidding me.
1
Which charitable causes are good and which are bad?
We would find out very quickly how "charitable" people really are and what they believe is worth giving to if we were to remove the tax-exempt status from all enterprises (including charitable ones). Most would disappear overnight without the tax incentive.
1
Simple Ed , Those that use the money for what the charity proposes it will do , as opposed to those that take the money for themselves ie: Donald Trump's pocketbook .
5
I wasn’t familiar with the term “grifter” so I turned to the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language.
Oxford describes the term as being a North American verb for “Engaging in Petty or Small-Scale Swindling”.
In my humble opinion let me assure you that Mr. Trump is not a “grifter”. He is something far, far worse.
33
First it was President Trump and Russian collusion but it has simmered down a bit. I guess there was little evidence. Then it was Stormy Daniels and that has tapered off a bit. People tuned out that one. Now it is the IRS and the Trump Foundation. How long will we be hearing about this? How long will it hold the media's attention. What will be next item on the agenda to report about Mr. Trump's involvement? It's anybody's guess.
The only people who seem interested are the Trump haters in the liberal parts of the country. The rest of Americans do not really care. Their lives are a lot better under President Trump than they were when Obama was president. They are once again hopeful about a better tomorrow. That is what they have experienced under President Trump and they are quite happy. That is what concerns them the most.
4
Tariffs will cause a lot of changes. We'll see how upbeat you are then.
37
How has Trump made anyone’s life better? ACA costs are going up due to Trump’s actions. We are upsetting trade that will seriously harm farmers and many manufacturers. The pittance in tax relief that middle class families got under “tax reform” will be eaten up once the GOP claws back Medicare and SS, and brings back pre-existing condition exclusions to health insurance, as are on the drawing board. If you are anyone except a white Republican male, the rise in bigotry as a direct result of Trump’s incitement’s is appalling. If you travel overseas, you would know we are not No. 1 in anything anymore and that we are viewed as an unreliable ally, a friend to despots, and a fading power.
42
I’d like to politely respond to the assumption you make about “the rest of Americans,” and the generalizations your comment makes. I am a lifelong liberal voter—but I’ve lived in mostly conservative, rural areas my entire life, including in North Carolina and Indiana; I grew up in Wisconsin, and still consider myself a Wisconsinite. I am a proud Midwesterner, and want to offer this comment as a counterpoint to the implication that “flyover” (what a casually offensive term, If any NYT readers are thinking about the language they use to describe their state neighbors) Americans don’t care about the myriad scandals and political developments: we do care, and we care a lot. Conflating the middle part of America with support for Trump and/or political disinterest is supremely unhelpful, and contributes to the false perception that these regions and communities are homogenous.
There is plenty of space for a complex discourse about the hypocrisies and policies of trump voters, as well as the short-sighted policies of non-liberal regions. Those are valid ways of considering the situation. But I’d ask readers to more carefully consider that vast swaths of this country are not a monolith, and to remember that interest in our national and international affairs doesnt solely belong to Coastal residents.
15
We are at a "Venezuela" moment-in-time here in the US. This is where those who believe in the "Rule of Law" and those who want the "Control and the Rule of Law" at any cost are colliding.
Those who believe that they are losing control, or have lost control, or can gain permanent control are literally breaking the law, the intent of the law, and the institutions that safeguard and ensure that laws are not broke in order to Control and Rule.
Either Congress and the Judiciary will uphold their duty to the nation and the rule of law, or we are done and we Welcome the breakdown of the American Democracy.
31
Has anyone noticed the clip of POTUS praising the North Korea Dictator for his control over his people--and Trump's reply "Americans should sit up in attention to me"?
Chilling to say the least.
This isn't new information. Trump supporters will see this as more proof that the left are sore losers who will do anything to undermine Trump. Why didn't someone do something about this fake charity before Trump became president.
16
Someone is doing something now. What's wrong with that?
20
Because many of these charges are related to campaign finance violations. Which couldn’t have happened until he ran for office. Which opened him up to public scrutiny. Which he should have known before he decided to run.
5
Because nobody cared before he became President.
There's only one word to best describe Trump and his family: evil.
56
Republicans have seceded any claim to being the party of moral righteousness. Their support of their Dear Leader, their grifter-in-chief, has proved this beyond any doubt.
41
Everyone who has a brain know this. Unfortunately, a large segment of America is dumber than dirt. And in a democracy, the dumb majority rules.
48
But they are not the majority, so the rest of us need to exercise our right to vote and get these crooks and charlatans out of office.
5
Just add it to the pile of scandals, corruption, self-dealing and moral turpitude emanating from Clan Trump.
None of it matters anymore, apparently, as Congress will not hold him accountable, and 40% or so of Americans (particularly the evangelicals) apparently have no more ethical mooring than does Donald Trump.
It's just all for sale, now. What a country.
70
I have always held the belief that people are inherently good and given the chance will always rise to the occasion to do the right thing. Trump and family and the Republican congress has shattered my belief system. The fact that our senses are being numbed by yet one more abhorrent behavior or tweet by Trump is frightening to me. The fact that the news media I have trusted (CNN and MSNBC) does not seem to have the quality of investigative reporters who can counter the daily stream of lies regurgitated by the Trump sycophants they insist on having on their shows has indeed made me disillusioned. We need someone who can systematically, on a daily basis, present the truth and facts to counter each of the lies that Trump and the WH spews forth. I listened to Trumps impromptu press talk this morning as he was leaving the white house. Although I know what a pathological liar he is, I was still incredulous at the stream of garbage that came out of his mouth. And not one reporter attempted to confront him with the truth. Now, in their defense, there were dozens of reports all talking at the same time. But we have to get the truth out to the American public. Thank God for the NYT and the Washington Post. You are life preservers that many of us are clinging to so we won't drown in the sea of Trump's alternative reality.
46
People need to read the independent, thought-provoking newspapers, the free press:
The New York Times
And
The Washington Post.
I subscribe to them both, and read them daily on my phone.
8
Where are Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite when you need them? Huntley/Brinkley? MacNeil/Lehrer?
Try Trump Inc. It’s a podcast on wnyc.org.
Any chance of Trump's tax returns being made public vis-à-vis this lawsuit? Let's hope so.
31
Trump's tax returns are " being audited."
While Donald Trump has repeatedly shown himself to be a pathological liar, narcissistic to the point of being oblivious to anyone outside his immediate family, and someone who has flagrantly and dramatically turned his back on the rule of law, none of this will be enough, to remove him from the presidency. To do that he will have to be found guilty of crimes , on both the State and Federal levels that are punishable by more than a slap on the wrist.
I believe this is why Robert Mueller is taking so long to reveal his findings. There is apparently a lot to find, and when he does we will see if our system of government still works.
39
The story about his "charity" purchasing his portrait to hang in his country club was as clear and undeniable statement of criminality as "I fired Comey because of the Russier thing." And I believe that only just a little investigation by the press would have revealed this kind of cheap thievery well before November 2016.
23
It was well known before the election. No one wanted to hear it.
12
It was known, it was reported, it was published.
Monkeys saw, monkeys heard, monkeys ignored.
Yep, everyone who cared knew. Trump supporters didn't care or thought it just show how smart he was to be able to outsmart all those elites by running the charity scam.
Thank you, NY Times, for this editorial that opens our eyes to how -- exactly how -- so much cynicism combined with utter self-interest can destroy our country's belief in shared ethics. Trump is leading a self-destructive minority that seem eager to be his next meal.
23
This would have been the biggest scandal in the Obama years. Republicans would be calling for impeachment. In the insane world in which we now live it's a two day story for you.
34
Does this remind anyone of Frank Underwood in " House of Cards?"
12
They aren’t exactly “pro-wrestling mavens.” We are talking a cabinet level appointee, Linda McMahon at SBA. She and her husband are quite adept at skirting the law with the WWE and the couple’s donation of $5 million to the Trump Foundation following an appearance raises more questions than it answers. As does the $6 million donation in 2016 to his PAC. Great way to buy a government position that allows for graft and sole-sourced contracts.
31
Thanks for a bit of good news. Silly isn't it to say this is good news? I am at a loss to how he can twist the truth and get away with it.
11
Trump's presidency is like Grand Guignol theater. A horror show.
19
And we are the captive audience, forced to watch it unfold before us, unable to speak, to scream, to make it stop.
8
No you have to vote, protest, contact your Representative, and be proactive. We cannot allow this cretin to continue.The locking up of Manafort is a good sign. Cohen's next. Trump will be impeached.
The supposed charitable bone in trump's body is, like his bone spurs, non-existent.
33
Robert Levine of Malvern Pennsylvania summed up Trump better than anyone has before:
After talking about the many small businesses Trump refused to pay for their work, Levine said Trump is the "President of this great country, elected by the very suckers he has preyed on all his life."
Do NOT recommend my comment, but find and recommend Mr. Levine's!
16
Where have you gone, Mr. Mueller, sir?
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Woo woo woo.
33
There we go again!
Trump is a tax cheat and his family are tax cheats. No story here, move along now.
8
Doesn't matter that he hoodwinked enough voters to squeak through because of the Electoral College. He will always be a despicable con man to a majority of us. He cannot change that. But if we do not vote and do not make sure we get others in the majority to vote, then we will be stuck with the con and his enablers. I am desolate about our country's future with these people holding most of the power.
37
Surprise is no longer an emotion associated with anything Trump does or has ever done. News of the exposure of yet another of his scams hardly even belongs on the front page, so common are they. Reading of them has long dropped below the sensational into the boring, with the only matter of real interest being the dogged determination of his tens of millions of supporters to seek and find twists and turns of remarkable justifications and rationalizations for his consistently amoral behavior. That's entertaining, in its peculiar way, even if the rest of us gag over it. There's no longer any doubt that Trump will be the worst of the worst ever to sully and defile the Peoples' House.
18
Mr Trump is, if these accounts are correct, a liar and a thief. Not to mention (are you listening, those like SHS who defend him on biblical grounds?) an adulterer, coveter of his neighbour's wife and bearer of false witness on many occasions (for example, by his own admission he made up 'facts' in his meeting with Trudeau). What appalls me most about this is not that such people exist - they have for millennia - but that, in the face of mounds of evidence to the character of the man, sixty-some millions of Americans voted for him and many (most?? - not sure) of them continue to defend him.
14
When I read stories like this, I always have at least one thing to say: Can anyone imagine how Fox News and its audience of lemmings would react to such a story if a Democrat, rather than Trump or any other GOP figure, had been the perp? I laugh a rueful laugh just thinking of their fits of rage and apoplexy. Hypocrites, all.
20
The worm turns -- finally! If you can't make good on a donation promise to veterans during your presidential campaign..
19
worm is a compliment!
If only swamps could ignite and self-destruct.
9
Swamp Gas IS flammable.
Another dark stroke of paint in the portrait of the most unrepresentative and dishonest president of this once Great Country.
11
The NY suit refers to Trump's charity mess is Florida. The Palm Beach Post fleshes out that particular affair. "Sleazy" indeed.
https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/national-govt--politics/trump-found...
5
Trump calls the Clinton's crooks concerning their foundation when right under his nose is his checkbook that is used to raid his foundation for his own personal gain and ego building.
Tell me again who is crooked.
3
And yet, we voted him into office!!! What a con job for a con man. I still can’t believe this trump is still POTUS. But I’m console de by the fact that : “everyday is for the thief; but one day is for the owner to catch the thief.”
After all, this is America, not some third world or Russia.
3
"...despite justifiable concern about Bill and Hillary Clinton’s dual roles as philanthropic boosters and politicians..."
Isn't this dead yet?
Just when you think this Fox funded lie has finally died, it rears it's head again.
Give it a rest.
7
It's just the bizarre Hillary Hate currently infecting the usually rational minds at the NY Times.
But, yeah, the lies and innuendo do get tiresome.
2
It’s almost time to build a wall... in Canada.
Getting pretty tired of irrational exuberance from America.
Your President acts like he runs the world. Americans act like they run the world.
America is the problem as it leads us down the rabbit hole to the new dark ages.
7
Please God. Help rid of us this man soon. The disgrace is just too much to handle.
7
Hey America!!! Tired of all of the winning yet? I get dizzy from all of this success!!!!
13
The trump branded toilet paper used outside the lavatory has multiple uses. It’s super absorbent properties allows shady deals, moldy scams and leaky ethical conundrums to be wicked up and tossed in the bin.
Trashy or Rubbish, it still spells trump.
5
I an unable to escape the image of Pope Alexander VI, formerly Rodrigo Borgia, and his three children, Cesare, Giovanni, and Lucretia, whenever Trump and his brood appear in the news. They share the same splendor, greed, avarice, and sexual license.
9
I guess the Trump crime family knows a thing or two about bad history; read the Wikipedia entry about Winterhilfe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterhilfswerk
When you ignore history, you get to repeat it.
2
Fascinating!!!
1
Just like the foundation de Eva Peron
2
The govt eventually indicted and prosecuted a mob boss for income tax evasion and sent him to prison. They could not get him on the murders etc. but he was put away nevertheless. Use any legitimate way to do the same to the lawbreaker-in-chief!
7
One thing for sure, trump becoming president certainly has verified in no uncertain terms what an absolute corrupt lowlife he really is. Not that we didn't know it already, but it's now out there for the whole world to see. How do these people hold their heads up? They should be shamed constantly, in the media and wherever they go, they should be booed, like criminals. The disgust I feel is boundless.
13
Definition of a “New York Minute”:
The amount of time before Trump directs - via tweet - the Justice Department to open an investigation into the Clinton Foundation.
7
As any New Yorker already knew this man and his family of parasites have been tap dancing around legalities for decades.Bankruptcies, stiffing vendors, defrauding Trump University suckers.....the list is legion.
The real crime is their continuing to dodge punishment. They will inevitably find a way to weasel out of this and find the funds to pay any penalties with delving into their own pockets. Since the corporation isn’t publicly held,they can just pay it out of operations expenses......they answer to no one!
This syndicate has passed its sell-by date in terms of criminal charges. When will justice for these people be served.
14
--Anyone not named Trump would be prosecuted for income tax evasion in connection with the charity fraud.
--Any President not named Trump would not have been allowed to lease the Old Post Office building, whose lease specifically forbids leasing to any government official.
--Any President not named Trump would be impeached for collecting emoluments (bribes) from foreign governments through his hotels and real estate empire.
--Any candidate not named Trump would be prosecuted for treason for selling control of the federal government to Russia and publicly urging Russia to hack a U.S. official's email.
--Any president not named Trump would never have called the head of our own counter-intelligence service, the FB,I a "complete nutcase" in an Oval Office meeting with Russian spies.
--Any president not named Trump would never have blithely cancelled joint U.S.-Korean military exercises as a way of coddling the world's cruelest dictator.
--Any president not named Trump would have been impeached for seeking to destroy our post-World War II alliances, the strongest security system protecting this country.
--No president not named Trump would have lied compulsively, insulted government officials, military veterans, entire religions and nations.
--No bankrupt casino owner, philanderer and liar not named Trump would have EVER been "elected" president.
22
Nothing quite as low as someone cheating a charity. I wouldn't be surprised to see a photo of trump stealing a lollipop out of the mouth of a child with terminal cancer.
8
How long do we allow a president to steal?
10
Everything about this pResident and his family is a sham. The US has been duped by a conman and his crime family. They are out to only benefit themselves and now have control of government to do their bidding. It is clear the pResident thinks he is above the law and has the ultimate authority. Mr. Goebbels, er, Stephen Miller claimed that out of the gate on his first media blitz a year or so ago. I’m sure he has the pResident’s ear because he sings that song to him over and over as the orange one sitting in the Oval Office definitely thinks he’s above the law.
These are unprecedented times and that means we need to take unprecedented action - maybe it’s time to jail a sitting president.
11
If Trump is the camel, you just have to wonder how much straw his back can support before the break occurs. I guess when you're President Camel surrounded by lackey's and sycophants and devoid of a conscience, the break can take a while.
6
Trump will simply tweet, "I am just as deserving of charity from a non-profit as anyone else! So what if it's my own charity? And I'm the only beneficiary? It's not illegal! No collusion! Fake news! Fake News! Crooked Hillary! Sad. Really sad. And weak!"
I like how Trump recently claimed that he "absolutely" has the right to "self-pardon", but, that he's "not above the law" - in the same sentence! Wow! He really is special isn't he?
4
The man has no integrity or moral compass whatsoever. Everything about him is phoney, from university to his foundation to his bankrupt companies. He even made fake magazine covers. He lies as easily as he breathes.
7
This should not be a surprise to anyone. Remember the scam called Trump university? Our beloved so called president is a crook and a con man, as are his spawn. All should be in prison. Hopefully they will be.
5
Fake philanthropist! Jail him!! He's also a fake broker of Middle East peace, and a fake president pretending to serve the country in good faith. Only a few countries will benefit from Trumpacracy, and the United States is not one of them. They tend to be autocratic or driven by nationalistic ideology.
7
The entire Trump clan is composed of grifting sleazeballs all of whom should spend time in prison for their criminal behavior.
LOCK THEM UP!
18
It is unseemly of the NYT to sink to the level of the Donald. Your opinion column treats as facts unproven allegations against Trump and his Foundation. Even Trump deserves the presumption of innocence. And even though he regularly ignores it.
1
Has NYT ever used this kind of language before to describe the behavior of a sitting President of USA?
1
OF ALL THE APPARENT VIOLATIONS TRUMP ALLEGEDLY PERPETRATED By using his not-for-profit charitable foundation as a personal checking account, one that cost him nothing monetarily, reveals a great deal about his character. Trump's remark about "sleazy New York Democrats" is a thinly disguised slur against the Jews. It's not surprising, since Trump channels 3 of the most evil men from the mid 20th century, Roy Cohn, Joe McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover. Now Cohn, himself Jewish, persecuted many Jews, destroying their careers. McCarthy drank himself to death, but of the three, J. Edgar Hoover was the virulent anti-Semite. Trump, who has no love for anybody besides himself, shows his true colors. The snear on his face in the photo showing him saying that he refuses to settle the suit, looks like he is flashing a mouth of rats' teeth. Not surprising. Who but a real rat would rip off the veterans for his own profit. One of the clearest examples of his narcissism and criminal psychopathy is his using funds donated for charity to purchase a $10,000 painting of himself to hang in the building on his one of his golf courses. I'll be curious to see how many people defend Trump's abuse of the charitable trust. How dare he accuse the Clinton Foundation of stealing funds without evidence. He must have been certain about his charges based on his on apparent violation of many laws. It will indeed be a test of the viability of our nation if he is not blamed, but rather is defended by GOPpers.
3
Half the country will say so what
2
None of this matters because all the Trumpsters believe he is anointed by god and nothing will change their little minds.
6
Trump is an immoral, disgusting ogre.
8
Donald Trump is a crook and so are Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka. There's no surprise here. Trump operated on the fringes of the law, crossing the line repeatedly, his entire business career--and he is continuing to do it from the White House.
10
Here’s the mystery.
This family of grifters is clever in so many ways. They’ve learned how to launder money internationally, how to misrepresent their properties, collude with agents of foreign governments for their own profit, stiff contractors and students, set up fake charities, then grease and powder themselves, comb their hair, and smile for the cameras.
But, at the same time, they’re so stupid! Didn’t they realize that piling into the White House, and assigning Jared to reorganize the US government and bring Peace to the Middle East, would attract intense scrutiny? Spotlights, floodlights, judicial investigations, journalistic research, that would illuminate the dark (ratty) corners of their corrupt underworld?
Why didn’t they just stay in The Tower and eat take-out?
10
Our National Embarrassment continues. He has to go. Everyone needs to vote! I'm a republican and any down ballot Trump sycophant will never get my vote. The guy is an amoral, lying, self dealer. If I have to vote a straight dem ticket I will. Drain the swamp.
17
I look forward to seeing how Fox "News" tries to spin this story.
5
I think I will send Mr. Trump a desk plaque:
"The Buck Stops Here"
Perhaps I can get a discount for two and send another to Mr. Pruitt.
2
While the recent foundation revelations and myriad other events are damming of this presidency, let's consider he wants us to sit up straight in his presence and admire him just as North Koreans do Kim. I find that frightening.
22
Manafort, Cohen and, of course, the Trump family, are all victims of Karma. An investigation into political collusion,which may well conclude in Trump's favor, has unearthed unrelated malfeasance which in all likelihood (and certainty for Manafort), goes back many years prior to Trump becoming a political figure. Even the possibility of obstruction of justice arises because Trump tried to handle the investigation as he would in business, essentially like a gangster. Sadly, decay has set in so deeply in DC that none of this, including the Foundation issue, will lead to Republicans deserting him so long as the base buys into Trump's conspiracy charge against anyone questioning his veracity.
4
I would hope the powers-that-be also investigate the donors to this sham of a charity.
According to Trump Foundation records, World Wrestling Entertainment donated $5 million between 2007 and 2009. But WWE is a publicly traded company and is thus obligated to disclose such donations in its annual reports. And according to Forbes no such disclosures were made--which would be a violation of federal securities laws.
So perhaps the donations came not from WWE but from the company's principals Vince and Linda McMahon, with whom Trump partnered in various wrestling ventures over the years--hosting Wrestlemania at Trump Plaza, faking a purchase and sale of WWE's Raw to boost ratings and enough other efforts to earn himself a seat in WWE's Hall of Fame. Perhaps it was just coincidence that the donations came just at the time the Trump Organization was on the verge of collapse when the real estate bubble burst. And perhaps it was just coincidence that this was the same time Trump stopped making donations to the Foundation and began using it as a pass through for such things as paying out settlements of of some of the many legal claims made against him and his businesses. Perhaps it is also just coincidence Linda McMahon now heads the SBA.
It would be interesting to see whether the McMahons took a huge deduction for their "charitable largess." But I suppose we'll never know since it seems the IRS is so busy avoiding the conclusion of Trump's audits.
15
So, when does Tiffany take over the Trump Foundation?
4
Please stop this.
Report this as news.
Stop repeating it in your opinion pages as you do not have proof without giving he President the right to defend himself and do not call the President a grifter.
Most people do not care.
You are just speaking to people who agree with every word you say.
This only help Trump in the long one.
It's like the child crying wolf.
The child here is the New York TIMES.
Stop acting like a child.
3
It’s why involuntary responses are also called reflexes. OpEds are just a more intellectual and literary way of saying we have no control over what comes out of our mouths.
1
@ Stone
It's too bad the point of this piece seems to elude you. The Board has weighed in on the most recent example of the dirty dealings of this president. And the piece is replete with links to the well-sourced, hard news stories referenced, so plenty there to parse if you'd dare do more than whine about Trump's need to defend himself. And btw, "grifter" is one of the kinder words one might use for a president who is currently in violation of our constitution's emoluments clause.
1
Editorial Board: looking at headlines of NYTimes Opinions today, we are smothering in the choking glut of Trump columns and pieces of writing we can't bear to read much longer:
- Trump's Charity - himself and family
- Trump is wrong on Comey Report
- Trump to Sick America: Drop Dead
- N.Y. State lawsuit to dissolve Trump Foundation
- How the IRS could punish Trump
- Trump's China Tariff may reignite Trade War
- White House defends Trump's salutes to DPRK general
- Trump's Envy of Kim Jong-un
and too -- today -- the excellent NYTimes book review of
"The Death of Democracy, Hitler's Rise to Power" by
by Benjamin Carter Hett. We are all blindsided by the power of Donald Trump these days. Lord lift the blinds from our eyes and ears and let us keep democracy and America alive.
4
Idol worship takes many forms. While some are content to bow down quietly, others feel they must beat their chests. Self-expression is an art form, remember. Just recall your first reaction to a Jackson Pollock painting. Learn to chuckle and not take it seriously.
1
He is a pathological liar, why would one think it would be any different with charity?
7
Go after this grifter and his clan. Ignoring the Emollient Cause doesn't appear to phase this mob of looters so the NY AG is going after them to protect the American people. Somehow I thought protect, not fleecing Americans was the President's job/
8
Donald Trump is a greedy man. That has been his primary motivation for his entire business life. It is not surprising to find out that Trump manipulated businesses or charitable agencies for his personal gain.
Donald Trump is a grifter. He moved from being an actual builder to a brander of his name because he was failing at real business.
The Trump 'brand' is built upon the delusional image held by Donald Trump of his intelligence, taste and being envied. He counted upon the suckers born every minute who wanted a piece of the Trump glory.
It's all fake. Trump is one great story teller you have to give him that. His illusions and delusions have always served one purpose:
The enrichment of Donald Trump with real money and fake fame.
Greed and malignant ego.
13
Donald Trump has embarrassed and debased our once great nation. His level of brash and blatant corruption knows no bounds. He will always punch back ten times harder when ever questioned or held accountable. The man once rejected from the Republican party is now controlling it, and they are his cult followers. This latest story of corruption is not surprising, but totally in character. I wonder how Trump was able to play the grifter for decades in New York. Was Michael Cohen roughing people up to silence them? Here is the Trump creed: Charity is for chumps. Only morons pay taxes. Fools play by the rules. Someday there will be a reckoning. I hope for the sake of our democracy and the future of the United States, that it starts in November 2018.
20
" trump ala King" you could throw up with this crew!!
3
Who would have ever thought the man in the white house could sink this low..count me in as one.
Disgusting!
3
Wish The Times would give equal attention to the Clinton Foundation for similar behavior. Democrats can do no wrong?
1
This is about Mr. Trump's foundation, not the Clinton Foundation. And, of course, Democrats do wrong. We all do wrong at one time or another. It's just that these wrongs being discussed here are beginning to pile up to the point that they could topple our democracy!
3
It's been investigated already with no charges. Do you have any solid evidence to present? Spouting wishful thinking and outright lies is not productive.
4
The accusations against the Clinton Foundation, made by Reince Preibus and others, were patently false. The Clintons take no salary, and 80-90% of the money taken in by the Foundation went to the people it was supposed to help. The controversy concerned the overlap between Hillary's Sec. of State duties and her role in the Foundation--whether or not one influenced the other. Trump's "foundation" is much, much smaller and its failings are very obvious, such as spending money on a portrait of the Donald. There is no oversight, no board meetings, etc. It's more or less a sham, much like his "University."
Donald Trump is a con artist, pure and simple. His charity is a con, his university was a con, and his election was the biggest con of all. Sixty-two million Americans can be wrong.
See: RevolutionOfReason.com
TheRogueRevolutionist.com
9
Has anyone been keeping track of the silverware in the White House? Some of that china is pretty valuable, too.... Better take inventory before Spanky and the Gang blow town.
The N.Y.A.G. suit is very troubling but not surprising.... The activities it describes are in character for a dishonest playboy with a narcissistic obsession who believes the laws don't apply to his royal self. He says the cops always pick on him (where have we heard that before?)... but that's because he has it coming.
When will the Repubs decide it's enough and dump this jerk? They got their tax cut, the ACA is here to stay, the long-timers are bailing now to collect their pensions and avoid blame when the deficit they voted for finally blows up the economy.
Seriously, though, this is beyond 'bad optics'. Cadet Bone Spurs can't even figure out not to salute a general from the bad guys' army; he tweets out 'You can sleep well tonight', like a thirty minute meeting and a couple of photos makes Rocket Man's missiles magically unwilling to be launched. The Diplomat-in-chief has shown he prefers the company of the leaders of Evil Empires instead of countries who have been loyal friends. Next he'll announce the wonderful and patriotic joint military exercises with the Russian army - on Long Island. Maybe he'll invite them to send some tanks to join the big July 4th parade!
Better pull the plug on this mess before there's real trouble.
22
A wise woman cheated out of office said it takes a village. But the Trump Foundation is merely a front for roguish village idiots, robbing their neighbors at every turn. We, the neighbors, have grown far too complacent in our normalizing of these foul crimes, and of the mocking of true charitable deeds. It all smacks of the lack of Christian spirit by our by our so-called president and his pernicious progeny. Cheaters do prosper until the village can’t take it any longer.
4
And yet the venality and blind willfulness of trumpian voters persists. Should we be blaming the grifter or the idiots who voted for him. Have they no shame??
7
What they apparently don't have is intelligence. How "average" Americans (whatever that means) can still back such a corrupt president is amazing.
4
If he loses this lawsuit, can we impeach him finally? At what point will we have finally had enough of the stupidity and dishonesty?
3
The Trumps make Satan look like a charming, harmless little red devil with a spiked tail and a pitch fork.
5
The WA Post put most of this info out before the election, but I seem to recall the NYT spending most of its headlines with But Hillary’s Emails!
9
Fact, damned facts, do you think Trump's supporters care about facts. What they care about is what Trump says. If he says it is a 'witch hunt by New York Democrats', then that is what it is. Nothing, and I really mean nothing, will undermine their support for Trump. He is their guy.
6
I don't care about Trump's perverse and ignorant base, at this point. But I do think justice should prevail--and these, to me, are serious enough charges to warrant indictment and, if found true, jail time, not some silly settlement with a small act of "restitution." Trump thinks he can buy his way out of anything. It's time we proved that our laws are not Swiss cheese for the wealthy.
6
“Lock her up” was the chanting used by the vulgar pathologic liar during the election. Con Don has broken hundreds of laws after stealing the election. Now is the time to change the slogan to lock up the criminal con man and his cronies. He should hear this from us everywhere he goes to run his propaganda filled with lies..
19
Time to see t-Rump's tax returns. Sleaze ball and slime guy. All of his family are the same. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Time to dump the trump, into jail, along with Manafort. Legal charges agains t-Rump and his ilk will go on for years with all the fees going to lawyers.
7
A well-known racist, sexist, misogynistic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, white supremacist, hate-mongering, unethical, self-serving, incompetent, lying, law-breaking, swindling, con artist was elected as the president of the United States of America. What do you expect?
22
Since 'special places in hell' have recently been in the news, one might logically wonder what very, very special place awaits the man who actively sets up a legal charity ... with every intention of gaming the system with a fake, yes fake, 'charity' designed in its every detail to satisfy his own enormous greed.
5
We can imagine that this lawsuit will go somewhere, but I don't have my hopes up. We can think, "Ah, finally, a way to get this xxxx," but maybe not.
No one in a position to stop this man has made even a feeble attempt to do so. Should the lawsuit actually get as far as proving wrongdoing, which from this article seems like a slam dunk, what then? Would he go to jail? Naw. Pay a fine? Suuuure. Would someone else pay it for him? Who knows? Would it get him a lot more publicity and a way to claim he is being persecuted? Absolutely.
It's terrible how slippery he is. Most of us who live here knew for decades that he was a slimy snake oil salesman, chasing skirts and trying to feel big and important. The worst thing that happened was his TV show. A fake man portraying an empty facade but viewers bought it.
I wish Ms. Underwood luck and congratulate her. It would be wonderful to see her bring Trump down, and his children as well. The only bad thing would be Pence as President and shortly followed by laws making his version of Christianity the official religion of the USA.
Colbert said tonight that ICE is taking children away from parents at the border saying they are going to get a bath. Then, the parents never see them again. If they could put them in an oven, they probably would. What they are doing is awful!! For Father's Day, call your congress person and strongly protest. Is this the USA we want? The kids are stockpiled in old buildings. Who is taking care of them?
3
Lock him up.
6
The Goniff in Chief and his spawn are conscienceless. They use a so-called charity as a slush fund for their own petty needs and to advance Hair Orange Furor’s political agenda. If there was any remaining question about the extent and depth of their mendacity , this lawsuit answers it. They are plain and simple the first family of grifting. I say lock them up !
4
Bubba don't care. And Bubba will vote for Trump and anyone like Trump, every time. Because Fox News sez.
12
The expression “charity begins at home” is given new meaning by this scamming family. It may be another cliche, but I hope there really is “a special place in hell” reserved for those who knowingly embezzle charitable funds for personal benefit and enrichment. It is a particularly despicable crime and its perpetrators should be punished to the full extent of the law. Godspeed to the New York prosecutors!!
5
Lock him up
Lock him up
11
clinton foundation?
https://truepundit.com/sally-yates-doj-ordered-fbi-not-to-overtly-invest...
Find some real evidence, enough to convince real investigators to do something. Otherwise, you might as well blame the tooth fairy.
2
The Trump Criminal Family on Steroids
5
tRump's hubris will be his downfall. Thinking himself untouchable, because, quite honestly, in the past he has been able to buy himself, or send his gang of "lawyers" to do his dirty work, has worked for him the past. But there is no flying under the radar now. All his grifting, his cons, his lies are rising to the surface like pond scum.
Failure to pay income tax brought down Al Capone, tRump is destined to follow this same path. Everyday a new skeleton falls out his closet, the time will come when he, his lawyers and his grifter family will not be able to dig out from under them.
He is guilty of colluding with a foreign government, but I truly believe that money-laundering, tax evasion and straight up cons will be his kryptonite.
6
#deplotablesdontcare #cult
1
Grifters got a grift! Corporal Bonespurs has been running an organized crime family his whole adult life. He should be in jail. I am pretty sure if I did 10% of the crap he’s pulled I would be unemployed, bankrupt and in jail.
5
Could we have expected anything less from the trump family? Being president is all about his ego and how he can take advantage of the situation. The republican party is also in on the conspiracy to screw the American people while making the wealthy wealthier. The economy is doing great unless you are still one of the millions living from paycheck to paycheck without any health insurance or benefits waiting for the trickle down economy that was promised to eventually kick in. Good luck with that trump supporters.
11
I'm actually more interested in how the civil case proceeds. The IRS and the FEC can potentially bring more damaging legal charges. Anyone not in the oval office should be planning for a long vacation to Club Fed. However, the civil case has the potential to publicly reveal a lot about Trump's financial dealings he obviously doesn't want the public to know. Will executive privilege protect a foundation founded by the president? Also, the alleged crimes appear to have occurred before the President was president. Therefore, how much executive privilege can Trump really assert. This should be interesting.
22
It was reported that his charity dispersed more than it received can someone tell me how he profited from this?
1
Many people say that "it has been reported" is not a credible source. It is a mere Trumpism, like Nobody knew how hard... or Everyone is saying. It is meaningless drivel. The report that the organization paid out more than it took in is false and a lie.
2
I get your question:
I think it was because he "used" the money inappropriately.
Two things:
• Tax returns — a lot of dirt will be revealed from laundering Russian money to pocketing donations
• Civil and criminal prosecution — clearly enriching one’s self while in government service is a crime, yes?
So much winning, folks! So much winning!
6
What will Federal law enforcement do with the information the N.Y. AG sent to the FEC and the IRS? Will they fulfill their oaths of office or will they, as has the GOP, sit on their hands and do nothing?
6
I predict rapid turnover at both the FEC and the IRS as the wheels come off trying to keep this under wraps.
2
For those of us who still believe in evidence-based truth and reality, the charges brought by Ms. Underwood are no surprise. Trump and family use every means to make the system work for them to fill their overflowing coffers. I am interested in any proven wrongdoing discovered in the civil law suit because in a democracy no one is above the law and the charity may have mislead its donors. If no malfeasance is found, I will accept that determination as long as it is based on the law and verifiable facts.
The Trump minions will continue to see any action taken against their deity as a "witch hunt" out to destroy their vaulted leader. Facts, truths, empirical evidence are irrelevant to them.
I have faith that the legal system will continue to work, even under this administration. Trump, I am sure, recalls Nixon's statement to David Frost after his resignation that if the president does it, it's not illegal. We will see about that.
7
With a cadre of lawyers, accountants and "fixers", there is absolutely no excuse for the Trump family's abuse of the laws governing non-profit foundations. There is a reason for it, though, and that is DJT's belief that he is above the laws that govern the rest of us. Trump has always believed that his wealth and his ability to skirt the laws, tenets, principles and ethics that good people hold dear, he can get away with any behavior that suits him. And, he believes that if, as a result of his misdeeds, he is sued or otherwise finds himself in trouble, his legal team, funded by his wealth (and the apparently the well-intentioned donations of others) will defend and protect him from due discipline.
I look forward to Trump's eventual comeuppance, when his sneering insults and disgusting slurs are replaced by expressions of fear of punishment and the embarrassment of impeachment.
19
From your lips to Gods ears.
2
Trump is absolutely right. The liberal media, elites, democrats and the "deep state" are out to get him. We admit it. Us liberal, elite democrats who are in a "deep state" of anguish for the future of our country are out to get him out of the Oval Office! Vote November 2018!
6
Americans, wake up! In normal times, say in 2015, these allegations would have been enough to destroy a politician's career.
This is not normal. Once, it would have been unthinkable for a sitting president to go on the attack against a pending lawsuit in any court. Until Lyin' Donnie Trump broke into the Oval Office, presidential decorum, respect for due process and for the separation of powers would have required a "no comment" from the president.
Now, of course, our unhinged grifter-in-chief, he who smashes all norms, has no compunction against hurling ad hominem partisan political insults at career prosecutors for doing their jobs.
We need to wake up to culture of corruption and impunity that is infecting the body politic from the top down.
Trump must be held in check by Congress, the courts and by the brave actions of state prosecutors lest he destroy the Republic.
14
Will someone (Mueller?) please force Trump to show his 2015 IRS tax returns. He has gotten away with not doing this for too long. Let's see what he is hiding. If anything would make Trump resign, this could be it.
18
Well, as a former resident of New York City, born and raised there, and from my perch in close by Connecticut, of course it has always been obvious that Trump is an immoral grifter, cheater, lier, and "not a nice guy". What were the people who voted for him thinking? How do they sleep at night? In the end, though, he will "get away with murder", as he said so himself.
9
Thank you NYTimes. Your account of the Trump family's repeated illegal use of their "charitable" foundation for their own personal benefit needs to stay in the headlines for a long, long time.
A mere slap on the hand with a minimal fine is outrageous. Years of corruption and self dealing and this is all they get?
And just how far will a "referral" to the IRS and FEC go while Trump oversees the IRS and the FEC?
Our "Terrified-of-Trump" GOP Congress has proven they will certainly NEVER challenge Trump about anything. Their RNC chair has already threatened them that it would be a "mistake".
Please keep readers updated on the illegal use of Trump Foundation funds. Stealing from their own charity...the facts cannot be disputed and they clearly reveal how truly despicable this Trump family is.
5
This is all the more reason we should as a nation demand to see trump's tax returns, now.
4
Can anyone explain to me WHY? How has he got away with this with so many people crying about it???
How does he get away with all this nonsense?
What has happened to the American sense of personal responsibility, justice and fair dealing?
Is it because the population is so hungry for 'entertainment' at any cost?
Have you all been sucked into his narcissistic fantasy?
What is the national psychology about this idiot that results in us all standing around , jaws dropped and expecting someone else to deal with him?
3
I would like to see a comprehensive list, comparing the Trump Foundation and the Clinton Foundation.
By date and amount list who donated money to each foundation.
List money disbursed, to recipient, from each foundation, by date and amount.
I've read other articles about these differences in paragraph form. But I think a side by side compare with details might cement for us viewers who is more self serving and who has any semblance of altruism.
11
Steve, There is NO comparison. Read reviews of The Clinton Foundation in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The scope of their global giving is massive. The Trump foundation is a scam and was from the beginning. I work in the nonprofit sector and I know.
2
But he overwhelming number of Trump supporters won't care, regardless.
2
The Times should devote some ink to explaining what a foundation is, and the various kinds of foundations there are. Foundations are in the business of granting their income of the foundation to bona fide charitable causes (e.g. AIDS workers, boy's/girl's clubs, senior citizen services, non-profit arts groups). They generally require a paid staff, quarterly treasurer's statements, regular audits, and predictable meetings by a board who oversees the foundation's activities. Mr. Trump's foundation should have been subject to the kind of scrutiny all non-profits receive- WHAT HAPPENED? This outrageous, egregious behavior is typical of this monumentally flawed man. Kudos to the NY State attorney's office for finally exposing what can only be termed as graft.
2
This is not news. We have known for a few years that his charity paid for a huge portrait of himself which hangs at Mara Lago. Obviously, no portrait of Trump is a charitable donation. The only question is what took NYS so long and why wasn't the IRS investigating this obvious fraud, long ago? He will stonewall this investigation just as he did all the others. He will keep firing the people who are endeavoring to prove that Trump is the liar everyone knows he is.
15
At long last, justice.
6
We can hope, anyway.
2
You have to believe...
Will this be it? (He asked, hopefully.) Will this be the thing that will fell the monster? It would be more than a little fitting that it would be his so-called charity that brings the dragon down. An agency of no compassion, named for a man of no integrity. This could be the greatest gift the Trump Foundation could bestow on humanity. While Ms. Underwood can only file civil suits, the IRS and the Federal Election Commission can and should file criminal charges.
21
Your editorial rightly criticizes Trump’s Charitable Foundation, but the same criticism can be lodged against most public and privately held charities run by politicians, including the ones administered in the name and for the interests of past U.S. presidents, such as the Clinton Foundations.
Too many foundations like the present ones disburse only so much each year as to satisfy IRS tax qualifications for minimum grants required of non-profit charities. Trump Foundations in that respect behaves no differently than many other foundations in the use of its benefactions to finance Trump family’s personal or political goals. But let’s not kid ourselves. Do not omit the sham Clinton Foundations, which were especially egregious in misusing benefactions as the instrument for “Pay to Play” donations from sources wanting political access to Hillary in the event she became President.
Millions of foreign and domestic donations to the defunct Clinton Foundations only incidentally helped the medical needs of a few impoverished villages in remote parts of Africa and Haiti. The Clintons selfishly used the donations as trustees (as she admitted in one 2016 ABC-TV interview with Dianne Sawyer,” ) going from“dead broke...deeply in debt” leaving the White House to building personal credit out of foundation credit to obtain their present fortune.
We need to assure the public that the present charitable foundations fully use donations for charity.
2
Bayou Bob, You are dead wrong. A troll perhaps?
1
Bayou Houma is so misinformed. Whether the accusations against the Clinton Foundation are true or not (few are), its good deeds in quality and quantity are unmatched in the current foundation universe of relatively new foundations. Most are private foundations such as Trump's that only flow money through (whether for good or self-serving) to get tax breaks. But the Clinton Foundation is a public foundation akin to the Ford Foundation that does its own feet-on-the-ground programs and on a large scale.
No comparison. The more Trump says otherwise the more it shows that he is wrong. . . . doing his typical two-step of trying to pin his own shortcomings on others (i.e., wrong in 2 ways: taking credit from others and giving credit to himself)
2
People did not vote for him because of his charity so this does not matter. Nevertheless he gave away billions of dollars - actually a trillion and a half to the wealthy. And he got rid of all nuclear weapons from North Korea last week when he did not sleep for 24 hours. And the border wall, in case you did not notice, is almost completed. Congress would not give him any money so he sold red hats and with that money completed the wall. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize a few hours ago too!
1
Trump's strategy was to accuse Bill and Hillary of every bad offense he was committing or planned to commit.
1. Pay to play, check.
2. Mishandling of classified information, check.
3. Being the most corrupt administration in our nation's history, check.
4. Infidelity, check.
5. Being under FBI investigation on day one of the presidency, check.
Did Trump ever accuse Hillary of being a Russian Agent?
12
No.
And the only reason he didnt accuse her of being a Russian agent is because doing so would annoy Vladimir.
1
Is anyone surprised. The surprise is that no one in power appears to challenge his corruption.
Everyday, the reputation of the United States, is diminished when people who should know better do nothing.
The United States appears to be run like a banana republic.
You reap what you sow.
3
Trump’s corruption and grift is makes me angry but his supporters don’t care. They like his spoils of war - I take what I want mentality not thinking for a second how that will backfire on them one day (as the GOPTaxScam surely will).
Why do Trump supporters like the grift and support the corruption?
18
Trump’s dishonesty, corruption and venality in his private life is a real distraction from his dishonesty, corruption and venality as president.
22
The Trumps were fond of their charity
Boosting it with regularity
But being improper
It has come a cropper
Yet another Trump vulgarity
2
Yup Al Capone was laid low by tax evasion. This case is a NY State matter. So even if the grifter in chief skates on the federal charges (big if) NY State will nail his behind on taxes..or lack of payment. The boast "I am a smart guy that doesn't pay taxes" should land this grifter in either Attica or Dannemora. I cannot wait.Champagne awaits.
11
And in other surprising news, the sky is blue and birds fly.
12
We NY'ers are accustomed to hospitals and public buildings named after real estate and busines moguls---Ruben, Tisch, Weill, Langone, and so forth.
Other than a small rehab center off the highway in Queens named after the Pres's mother Mary, I can't think of any public building, library, hospital or anything else endowed by Trump or his family.
Real big shot. The best big shot. The biggest, best, richest, big shot. But not much of a philanthropist.
3
The Editorial Board's repugnance for Donald J Trump's conduct is clear and well founded. Never has a public figure more flagrantly abused the public trust. But today, when Clinton supporters are being so vividly reminded of the political assassination by a thousand cuts their fine candidate suffered, it's impossible for this reader not to think of those NYT headlines every couple of weeks over the course of the campaign that put Hillary's emails yet again front and centre - not reporting news, but repeating once again the same baseless accusations in bold headlines, generating clicks, and thereby, intentionally or not, making fake news that Trump could and did joyfully repeat at his hate filled political rallies.
17
The times thought at the time that this was a smooth road to being as unbiased as possible because Trump would never win. By the time they figured out too late I'm sure it was like the last scene out of "Bridge Over the River Kwai" where the British general who built the bridge for the Japanese says ' what have I done'
4
Where is MARJOE when we really need him?
1
That was fascinating. here's some of it:
"Gortner illuminates the materialist sham:
"These people lead miserable lives, and suffer in silence because they know they’re going to get their reward in heaven. A preacher is a man who has been blessed by God on Earth. ****If he doesn’t drive a Cadillac, they don’t think much of him; God must not favor him. He’s got to look good, feel good and smell good.****
"There’s a moment in Marjoe where Gortner talks about imitating Mick Jagger when he throws down his stage act. He says he probably would have been a musician if he hadn’t chosen the ministry. The footage is pretty incredible. He nails it. He cock-struts, hand on his hip across the stage, the whole deal."
"he actually stood to make a lot more money simply staying in the evangelical game.
"A lot of people have charged that I made the movie for money. For example, some of the hard-sell radio preachers are attacking me. That’s ridiculous. At the time I quit, I honestly think I was the best preacher on the circuit, I could cut anybody. In five years I would have been on top and probably a millionaire. One thing a lot of people forget about is the tax advantage: I was tax-deductible.
"Post evangelizing, however, Gortner eventually enrolled in acting classes ... a few leading rolls in films,"
https://dangerousminds.net/comments/a_lot_of_people_do_bad_things_the_bi...
2
His philanthropy is as phony as his university was.
1
Why hasn't the IRS come calling on the president and his "foundations"? With all the reporting of tax cheating and shady business dealings, the Feds should have been in the president's grill long before now.
27
And yet 72% of Republicans consider Trump a good role model for children. Go figure.
http://theweek.com/speedreads/750974/72-percent-republicans-think-trump-...
1
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Trump stole from the poor box at his church.
Donny Deutsch was on "Morning Joe" this morning and said that his child and Trump's son Baron went to the same elite PRIVATE school in New York City. Donald Trump used Trump Foundation money to donate to the school. The tuition at the school is $50,000. In case you thought that the Trump Foundation used it's funds to help " widows & orphans" or even firefighters, cops, wounded soldiers, etc...guess again. The word "grifter" doesn't do justice to what Donald Trump is. He has no remorse, shame, or guilt...a truly despicable person.
When you break the law, go BIG.
It's a trifecta:
State of New York, IRS and Federal Election Commission.
9
I have absolutely no respect for the people who voted for this excuse of a man. It is true: They are in thrall to the Vult of Trump, and they all guzzled the Kool-Aid.
1
Donald Trump has the nerve to call someone sleazy. The man who has participated in so many business scams. He has paid off at least one porn star and at least one playboy model. He had a self defined fixer on his payroll. Trump’s book shouldn’t had been titled “Art of the Deal” but “Art of the Con”.
Trump foray into charity would also be scandalous, because Trump only does things for his benefit.He used his charity to influence voters right before an election. No work or contributions to veterans before the election, but during the election, he becomes a big supporter of veterans.
I wonder what would had been said if the Clinton Foundation had helped farmers in Iowa, unemployed steel workers in Pennsylvania, and Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jessie Jackson’s organizations in inner cities across the country right before the election.
Trump would have called the election rigged and would have been calling for Clinton to be locked up. Of course, Trump was saying the election was rigged and calling for her to be locked up anyway. It is exasperating to see the double standard that a substantial number of Americans hold.
I keep saying the again and again, only the American people can stop this example of everything that is foul in human nature. Trump, and his party is the perfect storm of what humanity is capable of when so many people are so bereft of any redeeming qualies. Folks, wake up in November and 2020 to save yourselves from these destructive men - and women.
1
Another brick in the now towering wall of facts about how the President and his family really thinks and operates. Die hard Trump apologists will need to shower four times a day for ten years once he’s gone. Even that won’t completely eliminate the stench of corruption surrounding much of the adult Trump family.
11
"Ms. Underwood also sent lengthy referral letters to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission, detailing extensive conduct that could, and clearly should, trigger further investigation."
The Election Commission will end up doing nothing due to gridlock. We all know Republicans value allegiance to party over country and currently, there are two republicans, one democrat and one independent serving on the commission. Two seats are vacant. By law, no more than three Commissioners can represent the same political party, hence gridlock. As for the IRS, they may try but will be under intense pressure from Trump minions (McDonnell and Co.) to abort.
I'd like to have hope but I can't find any.
I have found the perfect metaphorical creature for Trump. I hope people will take a look and broadcast this far and wide: ROFL!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhgnYGEJYh0
2
Funny!
Since many voters seem to think that impeachment, conviction, and imprisonment of the president is too awful to contemplate and therefore off the table, we need some way, as other democracies have, to correct our errors, that will seem appropriate to most voters. I don't particularly care what that is, but we need it urgently in the present.
We need to stop trying to read our national tea leaves, the intent of our founders as expressed in the Constitution, acknowledge it as guidance for our country's first 240 years, and replace it with a new foundation for a modern society. By any standard what we have now does not protect us from Trump and his ilk, nor does it allow us to rid ourselves of him expeditiously.
16
Given that Trump won't release his tax returns, we can only speculate why they are routinely audited.
My own speculation is that he has been deducting his political expenses as a business expense, on the grounds that at the time they were purely a publicity stunt to promote his Trump brandname.
10
It appears that the Trump objective is to see how many laws that he can break at once, while accusing others of his wrongdoing. The "Justice to all" donation: who fixed that for him; was it a lawyer or a tax accountant? Lawyers are not allowed to engage in criminal activity for their clients. The Cohen activity, when we see it, should be revealing. How about the tax returns? Any "fixing" by his accountants?
And there were two sides to the AT&T bribe, an obvious quid pro quo to affect the outcome in a regularity matter. The antitrust law here says the resulting size of the corporate merger is illegal, and it should always be illegal for telecom providers to own news providers. The reason for this is that we can expect both subtle and explicit censorship, maybe even resembling that of RT or Fox. The "mistake" they admitted in the payment was to get caught.
And Congress goes along with this--quid pro quos again in the new banking law and loosening the Volcker rule. And no more oversight of wrongdoing--what the law is about--by the CFPB. Scams and loan sharking are now legal again. Interest on student loans, given past abuses, should be no higher that that charged to banks after the financial crisis, i.e. close to zero.
Congress so far has gone along with all the Trump lawbreaking including those involving clean air and water. Let's see those NRA Russian contributions. Lives are at stake here, as are the safety and well being of children at the border.
12
Given the way Trump’s private foundation operated, we should not be surprised that he favors rescinding the Jones Act which prohibits charitable institutions from engaging in political activities. The Jones Act was passed to prevent churches, which have enormous influence over their members, from telling worshippers how to vote. That the President ran a charitable foundation without regard for the rules and in such a sleazy manner pretty much tells us his view of how the law applies to him.
41
Absolutely nothing related to The Trumps surprises me anymore. Nothing. And what surprises me the most is that 62,984,828 Americans voted for him.
68
And if that 62.9 million, most of those still alive continue to support him.
Or against Hillary, anyway.
The vote does surprise me, it sickens me. Don’t they read? What about his smarmy way of talking about people? What about his grabbing of women? His Muslim ban? On an on. Does not represent the values of our country, so obvious. What is happening? How do we end it?
1
If all this information exists, why has the state not charged trump throughout the years?
2
-- income tax evasion
-- insider-trading
-- fraud
-- violating campaign finance law
-- money-laundering
How many people are spending years in US prisons for much less egregious crimes, crimes which impacted far fewer people?
How long does the list have to get before Trump et al are held accountable, criminally prosecuted and appropriately punished?
14
I have to say I truly applaud The Editorial Board these days. Your stances are clear and out there.
These times are crucial for the Fourth Estate. Your hard work is not overlooked and is greatly appreciated. We must continue to hold truth to power.
74
So much of this was known prior to the election, but what has become obvious is that character (along with competence, honesty and decency) is no longer a prerequisite for the presidency.
A story about trump's "philanthropy" that sticks with me is from Kathy Lee and Frank Gifford who among others were being honored by a children's AIDS charity in NYC. Just before the program was to begin, trump (and Giuliani) took seats on the dais, making it appear he an honoree. It was determined that he did not make a contribution either before or after the event.
He and his family has elevated grifting to an art form.
10
We have as president of the United States a person with a great void where his heart and soul should be. By many indications he could not carry out the simple process of finding worthy recipients and awarding grants. The Trump Foundation was apparently a fake charity, one with the sole purpose of helping Donald Trump do what his whole adult life has been focused on, aside from chasing and bedding women, creating benefits for Trump.
The charges about his campaign's use of donated funds appear to be the most serious and, barring some unknown or undisclosed information, will likely result in criminal charges within weeks or months. People have done far less, some have made honest mistakes in campaign contributions and funding and still been put in federal prison. Of course, this will all be called another "witch hunt". Everyone is out to get Trump except Fox Noise and his loyal band of media excusers for whom he can do no wrong, no matter.
The Washington Post took the lead in exposing the fake character of Trump's non-giving, including the time he went, uninvited, to a charitable announcement and took the seat of someone else, who had contributed, on the stage. Other incidents were covered in the book "Trump Revealed" by Marc Fisher and Michael Kranish of the Post. The book is carefully researched and written, not in an attack form but in a factual presentation.
In any reasonable presidential nominating process, Trump would not have gotten passed a locked, front door.
24
Ned Kelly and the Trump Foundation
One wonders about what people do when coerced to leave their place, without choice.
The stories of the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly and Mr Trump are worth a look.
Kelly seems to preempt a pattern of life experience reflected in current US jail tenants/guests.
Kelly's background is from the rural poor of the the British Colony of Victoria and the son of an Irish convict sent one way to Australia. The father died when Mr Kelly was 12.
The distinction between Kelly and Trump are significant.
Kelly is recorded as being a gentleman, respectful of women et alia.
The area Kelly resided or hid out in is harsh and no garden of Eden. I've seen it. No place for a Trump hotel.
On the other hand Mr Trump with the opportunities afforded to him whose family chose to live in the US and reap the financial rewards, like Mr Kelly rails against law and law enforcement, courts and the system that helped Trump to become ... "very,very" rich.
I have not met either gent but I reckon Kelly would not or could not abide the hypocrisy and furtive and gelatinous treatment of basic standards of propriety of the Trump Foundation.
The Foundation apparently used donations for Vets in Iowa perversely.
Ned Kelly would have known the most stinging Australian insult which states: This guy would steal pennies from a dead man's eyes.
Americans need to vote.
His story is worth a read which is worth a Google
7
The lawsuit filed against the Trump Foundation is just the latest smear of dirt on a much larger canvas.
The fact that Trump could not only prosper in our society with its presumed values of hard work and personal responsibility, but could ascend to the highest elective office in the land suggests that much is deeply wrong. The way we clearly value show over substance, flash over fortitude, and vice over virtue suggests structural and substantive weaknesses in American society.
Structurally, the election of another minority president by the archaic Electoral College frustrates our voters’ will. The persistence of a free-state / slave-state compromise after 200+ years just begins to describe where the will of the modern majority is thwarted. Add to that the Senate with its disproportionate representation of small states with rural minorities, where less than 20% of the people live, and we add another pillar to structural mis-representation. Finally, with gerrymandered congressional districts the structural picture comes into full relief.
But wait, there’s more. The primacy of money in elections and now with added social media manipulations of the unwary offer yet more evidence that we the people have ordained nothing.
The person of the president—a self-admitted serial sexual harasser, thrice breaker of marriage vows, and now Grifter in Chief—is hailed by the right as their savior demonstrates not just their hypocrisy but the debasement of our values.
10
There is no mention that President Trump has given over $9 million from the Trump Foundation to various charities one directed specifically for our veterans. He did ask to have his foundation closed but the attorney general said no. They are on a witch hunt because they hate President Trump. It will be just like the Mueller investigation. They will find nothing at the taxpayers expense.
By the way, how much of their personal funds have the Clintons given to their foundation? This would be an interesting piece of information for all to see. There should also be a full investigation into the Clinton Foundation. What have they given away and where has it been directed. Show us where the money has gone. There have been some suspicious questions as to its whereabouts. Americans want to see the facts. Now!
Good thing that the Clinton's and their foundation have been so intensely investigated. That seems like a great argument for employing the same level of scrutiny to Trump's financial dealings and foundation.
2
It's fairly easy to look up a foundation's reports. If you're interested in the Clinton Foundation, by all means look it up for yourself.
The problem when investigating any president is that when he assumes office he also assumes a lot of power over many of the groups that must investigate him. Will the IRS or the Federal Election Commission take seriously Ms. Underwood's referrals as their boss condemns them as purely political? We have seen the pressure that Mr. Mueller suffers as he tries to bring out the truth. Will others be as faithful to this quest? This is especially so as the government is controlled by Republicans who look the other way in the face of evidence and pressures from their voters who seem not to care about trump's overwhelming corruption as they dismiss it all as just some Democratic plot.
If we do not have justice at our highest levels, how will we ever trust any of our courts or law enforcement officers again?
4
This was all in plain sight for years before Trump came down that escalator. But one AG after another and one Manhattan DA after another never prosecuted the grifting criminal. Probably because of campaign donations and a sense that he was little more than an occasionally amusing con man.
Nice work. We need a Constitutional amendment to make all campaigns from President to dog catcher financed by the public. It should be illegal to buy an elected official or candidate so much as a sandwich.
4
Charity Navigator rates the Trump Foundation with the warning 'High Concern' due to Trump's overuse of the notion 'charity begins at home'.
Because unlike the 4-star rated Clinton Foundation - that donates their funds outward to people in need, watching the Trump Foundation in action is like watching a preschool soccer game - the players running in the wrong direction, and all of the parents watching their arms and calling out "no no no, it's the other way, go the other way to the goal!"
10
Every time Trump accuses others of wrongdoing it turns out he is the one committing the acts. The definition of psychological projection.
44
Shall we hear "Lock him up!" calls? Will this happen? That would be an highly original development in a presidency.
13
"Nonprofit" is anathema to the likes of trump, Republicans and many evangelicals looking for their next private luxury jet.
Charity like loyalty and money in the trump world goes only one way. Indeed, they embody the philosophical, moral and political values of the 87% of Republicans who support this family and their activities - they aspire to be like them.
In lieu of paying taxes at all costs, like Koch bros, they "invest" in destroying the lives of others - their environment, health care, education, food security, etc. American children of immigrant parents are not even safe from Republicans.
The Federal Election Commission is a joke. It should be able to nullify a compromised and stolen election for a do-over. The IRS should finally publish trump's tax returns in the national interest. It is outrageous that we allow the worst tax cheat to also lead and benefit from the largess of the government he cheated!
There is a spare island in San Francisco Bay that could house the entire trump family. We should use it.
10
Alcatraz Island is part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, at least until Pruitt gets to it. Far too posh for the Groper-in-Chief, and besides, we'd have to pay for it.
More convenient to Mar-a-Lago is Guantanamo, with many unused cells. If we gave it back to the Cubans with Trump already in one, it wouldn't cost us anything!
I'm not keeping track of the accumulation of lawsuits in process, planned or of investigations of actions that may produce probes identifying the president, the family and members of his administration as defendants. And yet, there is continuing support in the country for them and belief that there is no truth to any of the legal actions.
It takes a great degree of singlemindedness and effort to ignore the building level of accusations and legal actions and support those accused, regardless. What allows the support to continue? Willful closing of eyes and ears must prevent supporters from appreciating the truth of (any of) the charges and immunity to increasing charges.
There is a proverb that seems appropriate for the president's supporters and it is offered as a suggestion of the reason, "there are none so blind as those who will not see". One of many bible verses puts it more fully, in Jeremiah 5:21 (‘Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not’).
No solution to this problem is offered.
4
Proving once again that the President's supporters must first go through chump town before they get to Trump town. Now this is a revelation!
17
If justice is not served and this family of grifters do not receive penalties commensurate with these crimes, why should we "ordinary" citizens voluntarily pay our fair share of taxes?
Just asking.
7
Trump is saying he is "never" going to settle, just like he said about the Trump University lawsuit that he....eventually settled. The man lies every day and twice on Sunday. And so do his children.
10
The Trump faithful and the Trump enablers do not care, while all others are unsurprised.
The good news is that State charges are not pardonable; the bad news is that the process is hindered as a sitting President is deemed not indictable. That would likely be challenged only if proof of collusion tantamount to treason is obtained... unlikely unless Putin decides to stir the pot and release incriminating evidence. Can anyone say "continuing Constitutional crisis"?
The nation's most expeditious redress will begin in November 2018 when the people can reclaim their nation from this miscreant and his henchmen through the vote.
30
I agree.
The Democrats will lose if they do not listen to people like you.
Trump has been doing the right things that will get more Republican elected.
The Democrats need a voice.
They don't have one.
They need someone who can be identified as speaking for the Democratic party.
Someone who can convince people they should vote for a Democrat.
We need that person now.
His children are, however, indictable.
I think this story carries the greater danger to the President. The Russia investigation has so many moving parts it's hard to follow. But everyone can understand the depths of sleaze it takes to buy a portrait of yourself from charitable donations. And why isn't this as illegal as, say, stealing money out a Salvation Army kettle?
13
These "accounting errors" are attempts to misuse millions. It seems wrong that the the perps are allowed to pay a fine, shrug their shoulders, and say that is was a "mistake".
The person who shoplifts a tube of lipstick, would also like a chance to review and revise her behavior, once she has been caught. No chance. She goes to jail. Or if it's her third strike, she gets life.
14
These Trumps, "muertos de hambre" , not as rich as they claim. This so called "foundation", nothing more than a fancy way to beg for money from friends and family.
7
Does this mean we will finally get to see his tax returns?
33
Assuming there is a thread of decency running through some of those who have and continue to support him this will not play well.
When clear violations such as pointed out in this article are understood by his base the fabric of his invisible clothing will start to fray. He and his family, the finery, gold plating and smirking success. There is only so much greed even the most worshipful can take.
Those elected officials who have gathered in his folds of financial fat, can and will be voted from office if we as a nation are to salvage any decency from this disturbing chapter.
It is no longer necessary to consult books on American history to locate the most venal and corrupt who disregard our people. Crawling creatures who, hand over hearts in their false display of honor to our flag, betray and besmirch our nation on a daily basis.
If this administration has done nothing else it has caused us to rethink the plates of rotting political fare our government has been serving for far too many years.
The idea of the so called Tea Party, however disjointed it became, was the beginning.
Today's youth, those recently and shortly of voting age know they have been stuck with a bill which is of no benefit to them. Know they are fodder to the gun lobby, know their elders lie to them.
They see their classmates dead in their classrooms, mindless thugs taking infant children and penning them up for profit.
They will put and end to it and if we elders are smart we will join them.
48
The cult of #45 do not care. Nothing will change their minds--they have drunk the koolade & will not listen. Have you ever tried to change the mind of cult member, there is no reasoning with them, just like there is no reasoning with members of #Cult45
1
If the State Attorney General refers this to the IRS for potential criminal activity, does the IRS refer it to Justice for investigation?
That would be interesting. Those tax returns might come out of hiding.
Trump would have two investigator targets, and have to shoot off twitter doubles.
More covfefe, anyone?
1
The Trump Foundation’s greatest gift was educational in nature. It has taught the world that millions of Americans are more than willing to believe a lie and a liar as long as the lying is entertaining and supports their view of the world. When Trump is driven from the from the Presidency, by electoral or judicial means, he will return to reality TV, maybe HSN to sell his golden whatever to those who bought the premise in the first place. The real Trump “Foundation” is Americans’ love of the big lie.
7
In India political factions or candidates literally buy votes by handing out cash to voters. Other countries new or early in their democratic development use what are effectively bribes -- bags of rice, tickets to sporting events and movies, DVDs and CDs, fuel coupons, etc -- to insure election. Their logic is simple: whoever gets the most votes by whatever means wins. Many voters in India and elsewhere lack literacy, information, and education that are the basis of informed political engagement. The sure route to winning an election is buying votes.
Trump's election notwithstanding, American democracy is considered advanced and mature with an electorate that's informed, educated and able to discern political choices that represent their best enlightened self-interest.
Trump's misuse of tax-exempt charitable funds raised to help veterans in Iowa ($5.6 million!) as a political bribe is as outrageous as it is illegal. Vets who went to war in the name of democracy receiving money raised in their honor and then perverted into a bribe to secure their support is profoundly disgusting.
It's a level of cynical calculation and contempt that puts Trump beyond any possible redemption. Vets have earned every penny donated in appreciation of their courage and service. Using Vets to raise charitable funds that's then is used to essentially corrupt them is perversion unique to Trump.
Everything Midas touched turned to gold. Everything Trump grabs turns into lies.
32
Watch for the IRS and the FEC to say, “Nothing to see here. We found no wrongdoing with the foundation’s giving.” This is where Trump’s placing of loyal supporters into every nook and cranny of the government will begin to pay off.
3
"This will take him down." You can wish. Get ready to spend the rest of his abhorrent life watching him thumb his nose at decent authority in public while his lawyers do the same in court. And get used to people who admire him because they wish they could get away with being above the law whenever it was convenient. There will be no significant price to any of them, not on this earth. These editorials make you cry. They make them laugh.
13
As is his chronic, perverse wont, Trump assaults the messenger while not touching the message with a 10-foot tweet.
His tweets and other responses say nothing/nada/zero about the validity of the charges. This is what he always does. It works with his base. It will ultimately not work with the IRS or the State of New York.
This is the story of the tortoise and the hair. The tortoise is justice, the hair is, well . . .
2
This fraud has been known to many for years, Why has it taken so long for it to come to this? It is too late now, he is too powerful and his minions in Congress too complicit to have any effect.
11
Did he ever make his $1million donation for victims of Hurricane Harvey? It seems like no one has ever followed up on that.
Do you think maybe he was lying?
21
Trump is our loss of innocence. Our political system is like the immune system of a child who was raised in an antiseptic environment -- it doesn't have the means to deal with toxins like, say, a totally corrupt person somehow gaining the presidency. Germany, France, England and other western democracies have mechanisms for saying, "Stop, a mistake has been made, this person needs to go." We were so unprepared for Trump. Hopefully we're learning something about the importance of voting with your brain and not with your emotions.
15
One feels almost numb to Trump scamming his own charitable foundation because of the endless waves of unethical, immoral, self-serving behaviours and actions demonstrated by this so-called President since he came to office.
Almost numb and that's dangerous because it normalizes his despicable behaviour. I wonder if the country and the world will EVER recover from the Donald Trump presidency, especially when he gets a pass...no approval actually...from what percentage of the American population?
17
The NY AG report may finally get the IRS to open the audit on Trumps tax records. We are a nation of laws, and Trump and his corrupt criminal family are going to see what that means soon.
5
Our founders set up our government with checks and balances to assure someone like Trump could not take down our democracy. Today’s Republican led congress will go down in infamy for their collusion with a grifter.
7
The Trump saga is like a bungled remake of successful film, like “The Godfather”. Not the first or second film, but “Godfather Part 3”, the I’ll-advised, poorly written, poorly cast attempt to get some more cash. This version is all Freidos and no Michaels. Flaws include nepotism in casting, nonsensical, confusing dialogue, poor direction, and a don who a majority of viewers feel he deserves a worse outcome than he gets. But if there was a number 4 in the series, a number of diehards would put down good cash to view it.
1
Emoluments =impeachment but when?? January, 2019?
Why can Ms. Underwood only prosecute civil and not criminal cases against charities? And assuming it's a law on the books who is responsible for it's being there?
2
It's been apparent for many years that the Trump Foundation was a sham enterprise for Trumps's personal gain and not for charity. And when Trump started accusing the Clinton Foundation of being illegal you knew he was referring to his own Foundation. Whatever he accuses other people of doing is actually what he is doing.
It occurred to me that rich people could "donate" to one another's "Foundations" and take a tax write off and just keep passing the same donation around to each other. The Donald's "Foundation" made few if any disbursements to charity.
Thanks to NYC's attorney general for finally shedding light on this criminal enterprise! I won't hold my breath that any Federal action will be taken.
40
Your middle paragraph is in error. Rich people cannot repeatedly donate to each other's charities to "[pass] the same donation around." They cannot deduct money paid out by their foundations, only money they give to the foundations from personal funds. (They could use mutual donations as a PR tool to inflate the amount the charities are giving out.)
I agree with your other points, though. Of course this is a sham.
45 does not posses not a
single redeeming quality.
12
We are recently learning a lot of less than flattering things about Americans. One of which is how we, as a country , are so susceptible to con artists.
Trump is first and foremost a con man. Probably the best ever - he conned his way into arguably the most important job in the world.
Other countries have their corrupt, incompetent and even dangerous leaders but almost always they have charisma, a certain inspiration.
Although some may be "inspired" by his overt racism, misogyny or dreams of past (and imagined) greatness, his campaign and governing style, like his life, are just a jumble of obvious lies and ridiculous self-aggrandizement.
Congress, with its penchant for special investigations and committees, should appoint a, or several as Congress is wont to do, special committees, panels, commissions or whatever to investigate not only how so many Americans fell for Trump's con but also why a major political party continues to support, aide and assist an obvious and shameless con man.
Talk about national security interest, what could be more pressing?
2
This should come as no surprise from a man who sought the presidency to promote his brand and wreak vengeance on his perceived enemies. There is not a charitable bone in Trump's body.
10
As the man said "...I will not settle..." Trump will double down and paid for the legal costs from the charity.
Trump is the poseur president. The lowest of the low in that he is using the presidency to expand his brand, and enrich his family. He's not even subtle about it. Whenever he's sued he attacks back and declares he won't settle. While it is beyond egregious I can deal with it if he were still a real estate mogul. But to pretend to be a patriot is indefensible when the reality is it is the selling of the presidency. He's bankrupting our country literally and morally. His dog and pony show in Singapore was as usual a way to get his poll ratings up. Ironically, those that support him will be the ones to suffer the most. We must show him know mercy for the safety and security of our country. Keep the lawsuits coming. It's a war of attrition and good will triumph over evil. Si, se puede.
6
Trump is a con artist who always has an angle to make money for himself or his family. Just look at his latest NK episode. First thing he did was say how their ocean front would be great for condos and hotels. If this were anyone else I would laugh it off, but this is how trump works, what's in this for me!
7
And the GOP remains mum. Their interests are being served by this grifter. What will it take for the GOP to unearth the ethics and morals that once defined their party? We are in sorry shape and I don't see a way out until the GOP comes to terms with their complicity in this mess.
24
A man who would pay ten thousand dollars for a portrait of himself to hang in his golf club deserves no respect. The idea is that one should live his life is such a manner that some one else wants to hang up your picture. The ego is a devastating thing for those that don’t know how to handle it.
10
It was all in the tax returns, folks.
'Charitable Contributions: $000.000'
Huge mistake not requiring they be released.
Trump shined it on. Still shining it on. Still getting away with it.
It's all 'fake' news.
The Trump bacillus was slipped in on 11/8/16.
It may be fatal.
What's really a gob-smack; Everyone knew the low character of the man on election day, but 63 millions voted for him anyway. We won't be out of it even when he is out of power.
The GOP malevolent mime bench is deep and wide.
49
In the "Ignorance is Strength" world of DT, why would anyone believe The Trump Foundation is anything but another Trump scam? I'm sure his "base" will neither see this report on the Regime's Media Channel nor read it (anywhere). Get ahold of those tax returns. Or are they still being "audited"?
26
Trumps blatant disregard for ethical or moral norms is clear for all to see. It is disgusting,and profoundly corrosive that this man and his family continue to violate the law. Since Day 1 of the Trump administration, the breaching of the 'emoluments clause' regarding profiteering while in office has been apparent.
It's good to know that legal efforts to expose and correct this situation are moving forward ,but it's disheartening that this crass behavior and action continues day after day, in plain sight. I wonder which Republican congressman is having an event at Trump International Hotel in DC today?
3
Donald Trump's entire career has been one long confidence game, all the way to the White House. But then, Citizen's United has put our whole political system on the table for grifters.
Money is no longer the mother's milk of politics, as the old saying goes. These days it's more like crack cocaine. The only wonder is that it took this long for Donald Trump to get in on it.
5
A central theme of the letters is that the actual charitable activities of both non-profits and religious organizations vary from minuscule to near total. New laws and regulations need to be applied to both, with only those activities directly related to good works shielded from taxation. The intermingling between charity and religion’s political advocacy also needs separation from tax exempt status. All these investigations have uncovered a lot of areas of corruption under a whole lot of rocks: charities, private colleges, pay to play, money laundering on a massive scale, insider trading (including by legislators)... the list is endless. I pray that shining sunshine on all of it will bleach out the corruption.
8
I think these infractions are serious with the foundation. The worry is, as with everything else will it matter? Vote, it matters.
11
Millions of people could see Trump for who he was before he became President. There was reporting at that time about his self portrait being bought by charity funds, not giving the veteran contributions like he promised to, etc.
The sad fact though is that millions don't want to see him for who he really is. Even now.
As the old adage goes, you can wake up a sleeping man. But you can't wake up someone who's pretending to sleep.
And clearly most of Trump's supporters including Congressional Republicans want to pretend that nothing is wrong.
So logic and reason isn't going to make them change. Which is sad for democracy.
41
Joe--Yes, but we are the intelligent, thoughtful ones, who love our country, and want the best for all our people, and the world. You just can't say that about tRump, his minions, and (as he describes them) "his followers." Yes, we could se, from the get-go, what kind of "man" he has always been, and we tried to warn fellow voters, but they could only be mesmerized, and follow their "leader," just as most of them do with their so-called religious leaders, who need a couple more jets for Jesus.
1
Trump is certainly doing his part to insure that their is full employment in one segment of our labor market - Lawyers.
If the Blue party manages to secure a legislative majority in the mid-terms, they should immediately create a new house panel - the House Committee on Grifting and Conning.
36
To those who may much is given, much is expected. Trump takes billionaires behaving badly to new levels. His golf resorts profit from the annual St. Jude's fundraiser charging exorbitant fees.
Most of Trump's lavish promises to donate turn out to be empty promises. Remember when he promised to donate millions to the charity of Pres. Obama's choice if the president released his birth certificate? Never happened.
At one time the wealthiest in the country felt a civic responsibility to improve the lives of the less fortunate and to give generously. This is still true for many. But Trump is a con man not a philanthropist. There will be no Carnegie libraries, Rosenthal schools, no art museums, hospitals, universities, or parks from this man.
He is a fraud, and he has no empathy or generosity in his heart. Nor have his children been raised to be generous. Most of us have been raised better and from childhood taught to give our time, our money, our treasures, and our prayers to others. We are far more blessed than the Trumps where it matters.
87
There needs to be a fair and just investigation of all charities in the country that received tax exemptions. As an independent I feel that members of both major parties have to face equal justice. There needs to be an awareness and consequences for conduct of all not for profit charities and institutions just like those who were exposed by the MeToo movement. Talking about that whatever happened to the former attorney general of NY who allegedly assaulted women a far more serious crime than partisan investigations. Consequences for such behavior should be swift and just. His resignation was admission of guilt and should be prosecuted and if found guilty should have severe punishment.
3
His behavior came to light. He immediately resigned. This investigation took years. The Clinton Foundation also came under scrutiny as has much of their behavior (there was a special prosecutor and he was impeached). I am not sure what your point is. Do you have reason to believe that at some point the former AG will face civil or criminal action. I am not sure what your point is?
1
Trump claimed he gave generously to many charitable causes over many years. If Trump released his tax returns for the last decade, it would show if Trump is actually as generous as he claimed.
Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns is just another red flag on his actions and behaviour. Continuing to not release his tax returns, unlike every other President since the 60’s, should be a major concern for most Americans.
Trump’s base will again ignore the real issues around the Trump Foundation, and throw dirt at the Clinton Foundation, which continues to do good work all around the world. Trump’s issues with honesty and financial dealings continue to show Trump in a very poor light. Sadly his base will ignore the facts and accept Trump’s version of what happened, despite the overwhelming evidence that anything connected to Trump is very suspect, and his version of events is usually poor fiction.
42
For many of us, this is just one more straw that broke the camel's back; just one more nail in Trump's coffin. But for avid, loyal Trump supporters, this suit is just one more chapter in the "witch hunt" against Trump. Having little or no interest in seeking the truth about the basis for this suit, his followers will show up at his rallies and cheer on his never-ending parade of lies. What will it take to convince his followers that he, and many of those who surround him, are corrupt to the core and really have little or no interest in serving the public?
36
I agree with all said here, but for the witch hunt. I believe his fans think he’s a hero for sticking it to charities. After all, his biggest fans are typically uneducated, incurious, angry, and ignorant. They are just like him, but without the inheritance.
1
I am assuming that these people will die loving Trump. Some may even transfer their adoration to his slimy children. Trumpism may be the new Scientology!
1
I can't even retire yet but have already lived through a couple of impeachment scandals. What with the never ending credible allegations of Donald Trump's misdeeds, it is simply beyond belief that the House of Representatives won't lift a finger against Trump. I've written to my WA congressman and received an unctuous ode to "freedom of speech" in return. For the sake of the nation, we must impeach Paul Ryan's Congress, every last Republican enabler. November is none too soon.
42
Why is it not surprising when we learn that even President Trump's non-profit organisation, ostensibly a philanthropic tool to distribute his vast wealth to deserving charities, is really nothing more than a slush fund for his personal use? It seems that everything, the bankruptcies, scams, and a pattern of playing the system, points in the same direction: he, and in this case his family by proxy, are nothing but frauds. It begs the question people ask me as an American abroad - has the U.S. really crossed the moral boundary where this is all acceptable? Can we really continue to support the cult of a leader who violates normal societal constraints on personal and professional behaviour?
84
Trump’s philanthropy is illegal and immoral. No one stops it. AT&T’s merger with Time Warner violates antitrust laws. No one stops it. Appointees to cabinet posts are corrupt. No one stops it. Yes, I think some in the U.S. have crossed a moral boundary, and those who have not crossed over are powerless.
3
Approximately 90% of the vote in my community was a resounding rejection of Trump's candidacy. I believe Trump received a similar 'mandate' from voters in New York City.
Alas, we nevertheless have been saddled with this cheap used car salesman as our President. For those with eyes to see, with vision not clouded by an overdose of manipulative 'social' media, Breitbart and cable 'news,' his tenure in the White House is a profound embarrassment.
The man is a bad joke. But now he has the power to undermine the legitimacy of our democratic institutions and destroy them. To poison our political discourse. To betray long-standing alliances and to align our country instead with the world's most brutal authoritarian regimes -- and to make our own country closely resemble them.
I'm not laughing at the joke. None of this is amusing, no matter how much grist Mr. Trump's antic reign of error may provide for the late night television comedy mill.
185
But here's the thing: he doesn't have the power to destroy our institutions. Congress is letting him. They, under the leadership of McConnell and Ryan, are abdicating their responsibilities as a third and equal branch of government. All to keep their jobs, because the Republican base will turn on them if they cross Trump.
So the real issue is, how have so many Americans been duped? Additionally, how many more times are we going to allow the Electoral College to install candidates that the majority of the American people didn't elect?
15
Think for a minute. What's more damaging to our great nation than the Master of Sleaze and Don the Con Man as president of what was once the most respected nation of Democracy in the world? It's the many people who still back up this guy because they simply could care less to even investigate his many lies and all his efforts to rip off America for his own personal gain. They voluntarily line up for the big con with a smile of complacency because Trump will Make America Great Again. In the words of one of his fanatics, "We Don't Care!"
2
You insult used car salesmen! (or anything else you compare Trump to) Perhaps a tardigrade ... awful and indestructible. Have a look, but make sure your stomacn is OK:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/health-science/meet-the-ta...
1
Another day another revelation about the integrity, morality and charitability of the Trump family. To what end as it becomes numbing to hear real, redundant information about who he is and what he does. Clearly the emperor wears no clothes ( a very scary image) excepting his loyal blind base and the inept cadre of GOP leaders who fail to see the greater incalculable damage to: the environment, international relations, ravaging of departments (i.e. State, EPA run by shameful corrupt and incompetent Cabinet appointees), foreign policy, human rights and social justice, infrastructure needs. Obviously charity is about much more than money for this Country and the world but for Trump and his minions its always about money and power - his only.
20
When, all mighty God, will Mr. Trump's enablers come to terms with their profound errors of judgement? When will they finally become sufficiently outraged and act to correct this ongoing tragedy to the nation? I pray. I also vote.
97
Trump Charities are simply another form of money-laundering; only, in this case, Trump's right hand washed his left--and it stayed dirty.
The man has long scammed the public, whether the subject was rental apartments or casinos or buildings or...anything else. On top of that are the serial violations of rectitude and decorum that have been far from befitting an individual whose fortunes manifestly depended upon his remaining in the public eye. He apparently never once thought that even negative accounts of his work or his private life would ever stand scrutiny.
We have seen, in this "empty shell" of a charitable foundation, a greedy man trafficking in the emotionally-charged issue of homeless veterans. Trump has been very slick in his shell game, his dizzying, rapid sleights-of-hand movements so quick that his marks fell for every wink and nod.
Once again, a silent Republican Congress acts as a presidential enabler. One can only surmise what their reaction to this latest (and unsurprising) revelation of illegal financial activity that spills over into the political arena would have been had the president in question been a Democrat, or even a Republican not named Donald Trump.
His three grown children are not innocent in this matter. Not a single one of them can claim that they had no knowledge of the foundation's workings due to their many commitments and business interests that mitigated against a stricter and tighter control over the disbursement of funds.
51
Anything comparable in the recent history of a corrupt president is Richard M. Nixon, who cheated on his taxes and was punished for understating his income by the IRS. Trump's actions are making Nixon's actions as quaint. For the past 2 years, I and many others have been hearing about his scams. Trump University was one big scam. Now, it's time for him to face justice for allegedly violating the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution.
76
"Charity" in the US is a scam. It's a gift from the taxpayers to the rich (who write off their donations) and to the churches. In countries where the rich actually pay taxes, charities are rarely needed, as there is affordable health care and affordable housing and child care for all. I think it's time we ditched charity, and started taxing the rich. I'm no fan of Trump, but he is certainly not the only offender or the only scammer. This whole country is a scam. Bezos' donation buckets when he won't pay or treat his employees fairly is just as nauseating. So is the tax funded welfare paid to employees of Walmart and Disney and McDonald's. "Charity" is just another way of subsidizing the rich.
18
The Trump fraud is a glaring example of a charity being used for personal gain, but he's far from alone. "Giving" in many of these organizations involves an awful lot of taking, with a pittance passed on to the actual cause.
My personal beef is churches. Too many of them serve as entertainment centers or weekly political rallies. Both activities should be taxed. The funds produced could help a lot of struggling schools and hospitals. Probably all of them.
14
Great article which points to the crimes committed by the trump foundation. The fact that these crimes will be referred to the IRS and the Federal Election Commission is a good step. This presidency is a criminal enterprise and must be stopped. Vote in 2018.
39
Here is hoping that what was referred to the IRS and the Federal Election Commission will culminate in serious punishment for all who have been involved in this sham of a charity.
It could also culminate in the IRS doing a serious investigation of all non-profit organizations and coming to the conclusion that few, if any, actually give away assets of any meaningful amount supporting the mission it claims to have.
I have a few friends who worked at Foundations and explained that the particular ones they worked at were more to keep the children of the Founders employed, pay Directors exorbitant per diems and meeting fees, plus first class travel, so they could gather and decide the minute amount of money that would be distributed , according to the mission of the said Charity.
Last time I read about this, it was that the Foundation had to give 5% of the funds to the charities selected. There did not seem to be a cap on what could be expended on expenses for staff or Board members
This seems to be a tax dodge to me.
25
Trump has on at least two occasions made a big spectacle of claiming to be donating part of his salary as president to one government office or another. The first was to the Dept of Education. It might be enlightening to know if he actually did and what happened to the money. I know, I know, cynical of me but I have doubts.
40
The Trump Foundation is probably just the tip of the iceberg. He drew a red line at any investigation of his finances. The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution would allow any such investigation and Trump would appear to have potential problems with that one. What about insider trading? Trump's sons are running the family business as usual and Trump is aware of future actions of the government which would have commercial implications. Trump's daughter and son-in-law apparently made some 82 million dollars during Trump's first year in office. One would think that Mueller is probably looking into Trump's financial actions.
58
No need for Trump to be so defensive. Many if not most eponymous charitable foundations, including the biggest, do things that glorify their founder-funder namesakes. One such donor bragged that all the expenses of his top shelf global travel were being footed by his foundation. I asked him what the foundation was set up to do. "Scholarships for foreign students," he responded. I asked how many had gotten grants. "No one yet," he replied. "But I'm still looking."
12
Maybe it is time for foundations to be held criminally responsible for defrauding donors when they do not carry out the work they say they are doing.
53
This response is a sterling example of whataboutism. Trump has violated the law flagrantly, repeatedly, with an arrogance that is breathtaking. He should be publicly shamed, his phony foundation disbanded, and he should be criminally prosecuted for campaign-finance violations and violations of income tax laws. He has repeatedly said in recent weeks that no one, including him, is above the law. Fine, let's do this. One additional benefit may be that we finally see his tax returns. I'm fairly confident that they will show that Trump has been financed and propped up by Russian mobsters for the last 20 years, and that he is guilty of money laundering and other crimes.
30
Covering personal expenses on “charitable business” is one thing (although still wrong) but you missed the fact that he paid political contributions and his fines from his “charity”. Very different.
It may also be interesting to see where this leads with regard to how President Trump's "donations" to the charity were accounted for. I seem to remember that a significant amount of value donated both to his charity and other charities was in the form of rounds of golf at one of his properties.
28
I'm not surprised by the outcome of this investigation but by the unbelievable arrogance of the Trumps to think they wouldn't be caught.
Did they think once he became president, past "peccadilloes" would evaporate into the ethernet?
No, Trump's past will follow him relentlessly day and night, dragged out in the spotlight of his presidency for all to see. We were warned, say some, but I recall when this investigation launched and forgot about it in the flurry of other administration scandals.
It really takes brass to take money from hardworking, and clearly naive, supporters who thought they were helping veterans. And then add it to the slush fund of orchestrated campaign events all with only one purpose: to aid, abet, and assist the (now) president.
If Trump can do all this, what other grifts haven't yet been exposed, where Trump can claim credit for some charitable act that's really just a tax-free payment to himself?
I'm glad this is all taking place in NY where the Trump name is well known for reasons other than his claiming to be the nation's savior.
As Michael Bloomberg famously said, "we New Yorkers know a con when when we see one."
Too bad the rest of the country didn't.
288
It's probably fair to assume that Trump woefully underestimated the scrutiny that would come with being elected president. He's spent his entire career skirting the law and shirking responsibility, and now that he is the most powerful man on the planet, it is his own past that will take him down. Got to love the way karma works.
161
He thought he was being elected king and could do as he wished without fear of scrutiny. He thinks he is Louis XIV. May he meet the end of Louis XVI.
3
I just wish it worked faster.
1
I'll love that "karma" only if it 'lands.' trump's been a con all his life (and worse) … and look where he is! That +/- 40% of ... yes ... "deplorables" (in any sense 'where' both ignorance and racial hatred earn the opprobrium) who support him for reasons understood, yet and nevertheless inexplicable, in 'association' with the spineless party of trump -- acolytes and 'scaredy-cats' once known as republicans (even 'then' and as such, more than 'bad enough') -- may well (and seem likely to) prevent trump from getting ANY of his 'just desserts.'
I have to admit that I find myself greeting this news with a shrug. Partly, I suppose, because much of it has been out there for a while (e.g., the contribution to the FL politician). But the main reason for the shrug is that I imagine it will not ultimately cost Trump & his kids anything of significance to them. Sure, a few millions in fines - pocket change for them, which they repeatedly pay in fines for misbehavior.
There is for Trump a life-long pattern of flouting the law, getting caught, writing a check (or, more likely, having a lawyer write it), and moving on. It all never really costs him anything that matters to him. Trump and people like him may not be "above the law," but they might as well be for they pay no price worth a tinker's damn.
94
The Trump Foundation, the Don, and the Family say they will fight this lawsuit. If so, I expect they will be required to provide documents and depositions. But we know that the President's lawyers don't want this to happen.
73
To Trump supporters: I know, I know Hillary and Bill have this charity too and they "used" their office to get people to donate. Lets face it, organizations give preferential treatment to those who donate all the time. And no one complains that philanthropists are wined and dined and given free tickets and great seats and so on. Ok, lets forget that for a minute: if someone had a charitable organization, what kinds of things, from your perspective, would they have to do for it to be wrong or to be breaking the law? And for you to say they should not be allowed to do that? Would it be OK for a friend of yours to steal from someone because someone else did it and did not get caught? Just trying to establish here what, for you, would be crossing the line.
22
I see you fall into the camp of "everybody does it". That sure does benefit those who do. Let me help you with a lesson in ethics and morality. Even if "everybody" does something, that does not excuse your behavior. It is the defense of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and my mother would never have allowed me to get away with it. We are each responsible for our own actions. Acting with a moral compass is all that keeps us from barbarism, and Trump is nothing if not a barbarian.
9
"Crossing the line" is when they illegally us that money in a non-charitable way, such as buying a portrait of the Don.
3
I think it has been quite clearly demonstrated that there is no line crossed that would have trump supporters reconsider their adoration and adulation for one of the great con men of our time.
If it had been a working class American, they would probably be in jail. Instead we made him president. The crime most Americans have committed is not being rich.
211
"steal a little, they put you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king". This is Trump's theme song!
4
The Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions allow unrestricted political spending.
The 2017 tax bill almost repealed Johnson Amendment, which prohibits churches and foundations from political activity. Trump keeps bashing that amendment. So the federal election laws against foundations doing politics could be next.
The progression has been inexorable. Still, it's comforting that the Johnson Amendment is from 1954. The protections that we have taken for granted limiting political spending do not date from time immemorial but instead are fairly recent. "Eternal vigilance..."
22
Frankly, I think the supreme court needs periodic ethics training themselves. I have absolutely nothing but contempt for the Roberts court.
18
It appears from the report that what the Trump family purports to be charitable giving is really a gift that keeps on taking.
If Trump and his Trumpettes truly failed to operate their "charity" work in the proper fashion, misusing funds for personal and political purposes, wouldn't they also be guilty of tax fraud to the extent that they deducted their "charitable contributions?"
62
Yes, and that’s why the IRS is involved, too. That’s usually how mobsters are finally brought to justice—it’s always the taxes that get them in the end.
3
It’s a shame to weaken a strong case by including a feeble accusation in it: namely about the fountain in front of the Plaza. The fountain is a public amenity. The Plaza benefits from it only as it benefits from being next to Central Park. Yet the article might give readers the impression that the fountain belonged to the hotel.
1
The article does not give the impression that the fountain belongs to the hotel. It describes the fountain objectively and accurately. What is remarkable about the detail is not that Trump saw it fit to make a charitable donation to the city to refurbish the fountain, but that this was the largest reported donation has ever made. Think of that-- he is a billionaire-- a billionaire-- and this is a charitable foundation bearing his name. Think of all the worthy causes there are in New York City, and the United States. And the LARGEST donation that the foundation made is to refurbish a fountain in front of his hotel!
59
There are hundreds of public statues to be maintained. But this one is in front of his hotel.
4
Of course, that fountain did nothing to enhance the hotel behind it, right? In fact, it was an eyesore and took up valuable space for valet parking, right?
4
Finally, something that looks like the apex weasel and his family can't wriggle out of it.
The law is slow, but we can hope that blatant disregard and cowardly bullying has finally reached bottom with the Trumps.
Disgusting!
164
I'm hoping somebody knows how to make this go viral: the tardigrade, a creature which cannot be insulted by comparison with Trump (though it doesn't do it's thing consciously):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhgnYGEJYh0
1
This story doesn't mention the fact that the payments to the campaign of the Florida attorney general were an effort to influence her to refrain from investigating Trump University, which later settled with a $25 million payment to defrauded students. In other words, the payments were a bribe.
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The amount was $25,000 not $25 million, but yes, it was intended to be a bribe to have the Florida Attorney General not join the New York State fraud case against Trump University. It was only superficially masked as a "campaign donation".
And, wouldn’t you know? Florida AG Pam Bondi decided not to join in the case against Trump University. After the Trump Foundation contribution was received!
1
As a retired former federal prosecuting attorney (1995-2010) I find that the biblical passage from Galatians VI has never more appropriate than it is now for Donald Trump and his children:"Whatsoever a man shall soweth,that shall he also shall reap."
That said, considering the utter lack of any redeeming qualities of the four named respondents,i perhaps "The chickens are coming hone to roost" is a cliche they will all surely understand.
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We can hope so. The weasel is awfully good at pretending he's king of the hill.
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I am doing my best to imagine Trump experiencing a single charitable moment, actually feeling the joy of giving with no expectation of getting something in return, you know, him turning it in to a “deal”. The image I will never erase from my mind is of Trump throwing paper towels in to the crowd in Puerto Rico, the heartlessness of that moment showed me the depth of his understanding of loss or need.
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I have wondered if the paper towels were from his hotel and had his brand on them.
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Surely the Trump Modeling Agency, although a business, was also meant to provide needed employment to those young ladies. No doubt Trump had those 17 & 18 yr olds’ best interests in his heart.
What’s ever did happen to that business?? I remember hearing of it during the primaries and run up to the election, thinking this being something designed to take advantage of, to exploit these aspiring and probably vulnerable young women.
2
You had to bring up the paper towels incident
Thanks
I was trying to forget it
It sickened me
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"Ms. Underwood’s office has asked the court to order the Trump Foundation to pay $2.8 million in restitution and to bar Mr. Trump from serving as a director, officer or trustee of any nonprofit for 10 years. The lawsuit also seeks to bar Mr. Trump’s three eldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, from the boards of nonprofits based in New York or that operate in New York for one year."
The punishments sought for all the Trumps seem grossely insufficient -- insufficient being (my definition) significantly less than the grift they're raking in from other endeavors. What will be the haul from the trademarks China just granted Ivanka? What's the amount China's MCC Group is investing in Trump's property in Indonesia?
The Trump tentacles reach so far afield that a little creative skim should cover the penalties. How about some REAL punishment?
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How about exile to North Korea for all of them?
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Wow, what a surprise Donald Trump is his own favorite charity recipient, never would have guessed that...
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What I like about this investigation is that it doesn't rely on testimony or interpretations of statements. It is simply a money trail, all documented. It should be impossible for even a con artist like Trump to weasel out from under this one, but he will certainly try.
Of course the standard credibility attack is being made against the attorney general. She is a bum. She's out to get him. You know, he is half right. She is out to get him... because he broke the law. That's what prosecutors do. But as far as Tump is concerned, holding him to the rule of law is nothing but a political witch hunt. Of course he would think that. Dictators always think that way.
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She's a total loser! SAD!
Mr. Rosenblit - Thank you for pointing to the truth - the prosecutor is out to get Donald Trump - it's her job to chase and prosecute crimes and criminals. She's got the whole family in her sights too . . .
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"It should be impossible for even a con artist like Trump to weasel out from under this one, but he will certainly try."
His weaselly fixer, Mr. Cohen, is otherwise occupied now so Trump will have to turn to a new fixer to fix this.
"Good luck with that."
Mission Statement of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:
"We see equal value in all lives. And so we are dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals around the world. From the education of students in Chicago, to the health of a young mother in Nigeria, we are catalysts of human promise everywhere."
The unconscionable avarice of Donald Trump is beyond the pale. He and his "Faux Family Foundation" see no value in any lives apart from their own.
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Sorry but
His base disagrees
Isn’t it all their fault?
I will never understand people
2
Guess Trumpy and his spawn are not as wealthy as they claim after all.
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HMP, thank you for giving us the Gates Foundation mission statement! So well stated. I will pass on to my Congresswomen!
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I don't see any problem here. Trump's idea of a worthwhile charity is one that enriches himself and his children. And that is exactly what his Foundation has been doing.
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Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to use a disparaging adjective when identifying any person or organization that says anything about him not to liking. He refers to Eric Schneiderman as sleazy.
Yet, I have to ask who is more sleazy...a man who, when confronted with plausible allegations of sexual impropriety, resigns immediately OR a man who commits adultery with a porn star shortly after his wife has given birth and then lies about paying out $130,000 in an effort to buy the porn star's silence.
Schneiderman
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Don't give Trump a pass on the sixteen or so woman who have accused him of behaviour not far removed from that of Schneiderman.
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Tom,
Excellent comment. I don't know about Schneiderman's marital history, but we know that Trump actually lied to, and cheated on, THREE different women he was married to (never mind all the sexual attacks, ogling of young, undressed beauty contestants, plus, of course: lying, cheating, hiding, stealing, committing crimes, violating norms of government and international norms, etc. etc.).
One would think that anyone prizing "family values" would abhor someone who would callously ruin three marriages for sake of his own vanity, carnality, and self-indulgence. I guess not Christians in this country, however.
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Both. but Eric was a huge disappointment. I hope he can get help.
In a way the allegations of physical violence make Eric's transgressions much worse (as Trump apparently said.)
Trump's tiny ego apparently needs constant massaging.
Maybe prostitution needs to be labeled sex work - taxes collected , health checks mandatory; love, marriage, sex uncoupled!! It is 2018 ..time o legalize the world's oldest profession.
Yes but the White House is not Donald Trump's home.
And Trump is hiding his personal and family income tax returns and business records from the American people.
Trump's charity begins and ends in homes in Beijing, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Moscow and Riyadh.
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I'm shocked! Shocked, I say! The Trump family criminal enterprise used a charitable foundation legal structure to enrich themselves and their cronies. I did not see this coming...
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Captain Renault, you are so right!
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Trump's " Charitable Fundation" is such a joke one finds hardly words to comment it. Trump is a "self server" par excellence, money is only good to help him. He has no empathy for other people, it is only "me, me, me". Disgusting. And this happens in the Western world. What a disgrace.
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Peter, Good comment.
The problem with corruption in the Trump "charitable" foundation is that it is unlikely to have deceived any contributors. It, certainly, is still liable in terms of tax and election financing scams, but decent people can hardly complain that it scammed its contributors.
Anyone with the slightest, passing knowledge of Trump over the past thirty years knows that he would not do anything truly altruistic for anyone else, and that all monies coming to him (by any vehicle) would be used for his own benefit. The contributions, undoubtedly, were gifts specifically intended to serve those purposes, and to facilitate a sharing in Trump's ill-gotten gains. I.e., donors to that foundation most likely wanted to contribute to his campaign (and get the benefits of Trump's corruption after his election), or otherwise ingratiate themselves and join in with his scam-artistic companies or projects.
While I applaud N.Y.'s efforts to rein in this farce of a foundation, the most appropriate prosecutors of Trump's malfeasance in this instance (in a perfect world) would be the IRS and the FEC. The foundation itself was never set up, nor even likely ever understood, to help anyone but Trump.
7
Why isn’t every American intimately familiar with the meaning of kakistocracy? Why doesn’t the word “Kakistocrat” preface the word “Trump” in every printed and verbal media mention? One follows the other as naturally as “New” and “York”. It is the only comprehensive and accurate descriptor of the man.
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Under Trump the appellation 'First Family' has been changed to "Family First'.
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Sorry Tom, but is has not been changed recently; it never was anything else.
1
Trump can’t even accomplish a smart con. No wonder most everything that he’s done in his pitiful life is a failure. He is the loser, the ultimate bozo who can only fail. One would have pity on such an incompetent wretch if he wasn’t so dangerous to our beloved America, our allies and the unfortunate of the world. He can and will do great harm.
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If Foundation was so bad in violations that it needs to be shut down,then why no body was charged with fraud? Are Trumps are getting just a slap on wrist while other would have been charged with fraud charges?
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Give it time. First, the indictment, then the punishment, handed down by judge or jury, after a trial, based on guilt or innocence. That’s how the law works.
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Underwood has forwarded her documentation to the IRS and the Federal Election Commission. Those are the groups who can investigate this as criminal. Underwood's efforts are civil in nature and thus the big fine, $2.8M, which is pocket change even for someone who has declared something like six bankruptcies.
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Let's see what the IRS and Federal Election Commission have to say before concluding that only a slap on the wrist is coming.
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The Trump's charity was designed to benefit one person and one person only, himself.
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The only thing Trump ever gave is false oath on January 20th, 2017.
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Donald's despicable deeds deepen daily.
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He cheated small businessmen who contracted with him, not paying them and then suing them, claiming they didn't do the work the way he wanted, or that it was shoddy. That's all you need to know about this grifter. Everything else is much the same. He is a liar, a cheat, and a sexual predator. Oh, and one more thing, he is the President of this great country, elected by the very suckers he has preyed on all his life.
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President Trump and "great country" is now an oxymoron, with the emphasis on moron.
3
Brilliant
2
He’s also a ghoul
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Trump is a con artist; a consummate crook, and an expert liar; his conflicts of interest are region, aggravated by his continuing refusal to release his tax returns. His holding the presidency hostage to his caprice is an abomination. But allowing him to get away with it is giving Justice a black eye. We ought to buy flashlights, find Trump's hidden republican supporters and shame them publicly for dereliction of duty, reason for Trump to get away with 'murder' unperturbed by his trampling of the constitution.
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Agree with your sentiment manfred, but I don't know how "consummate" Trump is. The word means "high degree of skill". I can't give him that much credit.
Not sure a kid stealing another's toy is consummate.
Otherwise, good comment.
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Our president doesn't know right from wrong. To think that his administration is using the "so-called rule of law" to punish poor people from other nations is laughable.
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Nothing is gonna happen to the Trump Syndicate , guaranteed !
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The Republican Congress has circled the wagons to protect him.
A vote for a Republican is a vote to allow this criminal behavior to continue unpunished. We are no longer a nation of laws. We are a nation of lies and false equivalencies.
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"...the Clinton Foundation, which, despite justifiable concern about Bill and Hillary Clinton’s dual roles as philanthropic boosters and politicians, is a credible charitable enterprise..."
"justifiable concern", like the Uranium Mine.
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Your concern is? Ask Shepard Smith of Fox News, who debunked the uranium "scandal" to which you are referring in November 2017 for his viewers. All journalist fact-checkers came to the same conclusion of no corruption.
Don't get confused by what Mr. Trump says. He usually gets it wrong.
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For the umpteenth time, it wasn't Clinton's decision, the donations were before she was secretary of state, the major donor no longer had interest in the mine, Uranium didn't go to Russia, etc etc etc (see Snopes).
Unfortunately, this is what Dems are up against ~ smears with staying power that require detailed rebuttal. Blinders to anything good (like the statement in the article, not quoted, about millions of lives saved by the Clinton foundation).
1
PIT - But what do have to say about the facts regarding the trump foundation. Anything? Anything? Anything? I didn't think so.
Huh...Trump is fined for $3M whereas his phony "foundation" took in many more $$$ millions...?
This is another example where white collar crime really does pay off.
No wonder Trump supporters wanted to "drain the swamp." Unfortunately, its harder to convince people that they were conned than it is to con them.
So I do not expect many of his followers will turn on him.
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I guess Trump has gotten away his whole life without ever being held accountable for anything. It's crazy that as president he's tearing apart our country in a way that only Vladimir Putin could like.
In Trump's short time in office he's done probably at least 50 nefarious actions that are worse than his charity scams. For a supposed multi-billionaire he sure seems to be involved in a a bunch of scams.
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It almost as if Trump has more scams than shekels.
Now we know what he really meant when he talked about the billions and billions he had associated with his name.
4
America is carrying out a unique experiment, having voted (with Putin's help) a crook and scam artist to be president. Americans can be sure he will do what he knows best - lie, cheat, bully, and fleece victims.
38
Lock him up!
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I was going to say that!
2
A primeval swamp creature Don
A piggyback foundation won
An aura of thrift
For every gift
For Donald's own uses were won.
It comes as a complete surprise
For what sort of chap would devise
So tawdry a scheme
A sinner's bad dream,
The spiner of the greatest lies!
65
spinner
first won should be replaced by con
chap could be replaced by chump
1
Perpetuity. That is the minimum time frame that Trump and his progeny should be disenfranchised from any involvement in charitable organizations, politics, or being mentioned in any publication that presents itself as a new organization.
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"news" not "new"
Mea culpa.
10
I particularly love the idea of cutting off the publicity!
3
If governments around the world worked properly by the people and for the people, then there would be absolutely no need for charity.
It would end so much corruption.
Furthermore, religious entities ( that have morphed into political dark forces) need to stop being subsidized by taxpayers (through their tax exemptions)
Prey on your own dime.
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Perfect use of “ prey”. Kudos
3
" Prey on your own dime. "
Wonderfully poetic.
1
Get rid of all charitable deductions. Only the rich benefit from them, and it enables them to choose where money goes: food and housing for the poorest among us, or a painting of our great leader.
But there are limits even now.....
Lock up the poor boxes, here come the Trumps!
4
If governments around the world worked properly by the people and for the people, then there would be absolutely no need for charity.
It would end so much corruption.
Furthermore, religious entities ( that have morphed into political dark forces) need to stop being subsidized by taxpayers (through their tax exemptions)
Prey on your own dime.
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Trump doesn’t have a charitable bone in his body. Everything is form over substance. I wonder when we, the United States,will begin reaping what we have sowed.
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I believe that has started.
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Ask Canada when we will reap what we have sown -- it's already begun. The question is when will will staunch the bleeding.
2
God bless
Why, we might conclude that Trump, in language he would understand, is the most corrupt person ever in the presidency.
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Instead of helping the poor, the sick, or the uneducated, Trump spent more than a quarter of a million dollars of his charity's money to refurbish the fountain in front of his New York hotel. He probably turned around and deducted the fountain's cost from his income taxes. We'll never know since Trump won't show his income tax returns...even though he promised he would.
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That may change now, since the IRS is involved.
4
This editorial fails to to give proper credit for the Donald J. Trump Foundation's signature accomplishment, a $20,000 purchase of a six-foot-tall portrait of Donald J. Trump.
Meanwhile, the Clinton Foundation has provided 52 million children better access to education, has helped 114 million people access clean drinking water and has provided low-cost AIDS medication to 11.5 million people.
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/unlike-trump-foundation-clinton-global-ini...
We have one of the smallest men in American history in the White House when we should have a truly charitable woman there instead.
Deplorable, Disgraceful, Dumb Americans preferred a lowlife to a decent human being.
Vote on November 6 2018 to stem the bleeding.
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Oh, my. Thanks, I sure needed that.
12
Says an awful lot about your country and it's people, doesn't it?
27
Not really. All humans are susceptible to demagoguery and nativism. Right-wing populism is on the rise in Europe too. This is a world-wide phenomenon, and we should all be vigilant.
And this surprises who?
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It seems like every single day something pops up in the news about Trumps unethical work practices, or his sleazebaĺl associates, or a family member.
What I'd like to see is some definitive action taken to prosecute these illegal activities. Civil lawsuits are a start, but his actions are are clearly criminal i.e. violation of campaign finance law. His tax records should be in the hands of the prosecutor, both state and federal and gone over with a fine toothcomb. My goodness, most of us know when we're dealing with crooks, and Trump is all but saying he is, and laughing all the way to the bank.
Please hurry up, the nation can't take much more of this.
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Trump is a trustee, president, chairman, member, owner or partial owner of more than 530 entities. But we can't trace payments to these LLCs because limited liability companies are “pass-through” entities that don't have to pay corporate income tax. Profits pass directly to Trump — who is required to pay individual income tax on his taxable income. That is, if he is honest in declaring these profits and all his income and paying his full share of taxes as other patriotic Americans. But then, we haven't seen his tax returns....
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-donald-trumps-web-of-llcs-obscures-his-...
34
True in part
These LLCs do have to file tax returns
Let’s see them!
The irony of this story is that conservatives have tried to paint the Clinton Foundation with exactly the same charges of self-dealing - based on nothing.
I'm getting older. I'd like to live long enough to see an era emerge where facts matter again.
871
Move to another country then. Yours is hopelessly lost.
1
This says. It all
2
My wife emigrated from Sweden. We've considering moving there, but with kids just starting their careers in the U.S. it's not much of an option. Vote the bums out seems like a better option.
1
"Charity creates a multitude of sins" - Oscar Wilde.
Trump's racketeering, cheating, swindling and lying are precisely why his followers adore him. For them Trump embodies the complete liberation from morality, and they find it exhilarating.
Every standard of decency is turned upside-down by Trump, from paying off porn stars, to intentionally hiring a Cabinet of clowns, to fawning over murderous dictators. Shameless greed and contempt for humanity are the conservative paradigm, and Trump's fans can't get enough of it.
Usually political movements have a mixture virtues and vices, but not this time: the Republicans are going for Total Vice, and Trump is the sordid idol they worship and obey.
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Worshipping a prince of lies can not be allowed to continue.... yet they are drunk with power.
Jonathan, will we ever but the genie back into the lamp? Liberation. Frightening.
After the GOP spent nearly 35 years as the proverbial "bulls in the china shop,: along comes the Big Bull himself, Donald J. Trump.
If the china shop in question could be a metaphor for our Constitution and the Rule of Law, Mr. Trump, his family, his staff, and his sycophantic lapdogs in Congress, would be the running of the bulls through that shop, leaving the shards of broken laws in their collective wake.
What we have is: the First Family is a crime family. It's as if Tony Soprano had sucker-punched 60 million gullible, illiterate Americans into voting him into office on a trash pile of lies and promises.
As the great comedy actor of the 1930s, W.C.Fields said, "Sometimes you have to take the bull by the tail and face the situation." And this is now an American Situation.
The Great Con Artist, Donald J. Trump, has been conned by China and North Korea while he has dishonored America with our most loyal allies. Chairmen Xi and Kim must be laughing themselves silly knowing how easy it is to fool Trump. China's top leaders in governement in business brag about how maleable Trump is. Feed Trump's ego and he is yours on the half-shell.
It is time for America, and its hapless Congress to "face the situation" and remove Trump from office. Or, at least keep him in a protracted "time-out" in his room.
107
"It is time for America, and its hapless Congress to "face the situation" and remove Trump from office. Or, at least keep him in a protracted "time-out" in his room."
Yeah, but will it ever happen?
3
I don't think Trump was conned by China and North Korea. He got branding and investment from China, saturation news coverage from N Korea. America has gotten nothing out of this, but that doesn't seem to be a priority for Trump.
If the rest of us had done but a fraction of this, we'd all be in jail. Proving that there is a two tier justice system in this country, just like many dictatorial countries Trump lauds over. In this instance, Trump is just finding holes in the system to suit himself -- as many politicians have done themselves for decades. So fix the system! Start by sending in the IRS to sort out these so-called non-profits that profit many people quite considerably. And educate the people that not all non-profits are charities, but fully fledged businesses making directors millions.
102
DJT has sent a clear signal that he'll pardon himself and his cronies for any federal crimes; but, it'll be intriguing to see how he weasels out of crimes committed in NY state. Kudos to Underwood for continuing to pursue Trump especially after Schneidermann's unfortunate departure. And I wonder if the IRS will ever--finally--nail a guy who has evaded the tax man his entire life.
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My 13 year old has learned not to be surprised at a law breaking president. That’s probably the worst part of all of this for me.
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While one can find instances of less than charitable ‘charities’ everywhere, regardless of political affiliation, Trump, like everything else he does, shamelessly raises self-dealing to new levels, for the simple reason that he won’t give or pay any money he doesn’t feel obliged to (or even when he is legally bound to do so). He is even proud of this. Having money defines him, because there is nothing else .
So why would he ever be charitable when he reneges on his own debts ?
60
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” - 1 Corinthians 13:13. Replace the aforementioned with chicanery, charlatanism, and crookery and you have the home that Mr. Trump built. If you are a Christian, there is a serpent in your garden, and he is not subtle.
87