Donald Trump’s Donation to Florida Attorney General Was Illegal, Watchdog Group Says

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Washington-based watchdog group filed a formal complaint with the IRS Wednesday, alleging that Donald Trump’s donation of $25,000 to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was illegal. The 2013 donation was made through the Trump Foundation to a political action committee that backs Bondi.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) contends the donation was an “effort to discourage her office from investigating Trump University,” a CREW media release said. The group further asserts the donation made through the foundation benefited Trump personally.

“A private foundation cannot operate for the benefits of its founders or board, or businesses they own or manage,” CREW's release said. “Likewise, it is illegal self-dealing when an officer or director of a private foundation uses the foundation for their own benefit.”

The now-defunct Trump University has been under heavy legal fire for allegedly using deceptive practices and scamming students who enrolled, thinking it would make them rich in the real estate market. The so-called university has been under investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Office, and a class action lawsuit was also filed in California.

The Trump Foundation's donation to Bondi’s campaign was made only days after the Florida AG’s office said it was looking into allegations against the university, CNN reported. A formal investigation was never opened.

The Trump Foundation agreed to pay a $2,500 fine last week in regard to the Bondi campaign donation, the network reported. That fine, however, doesn’t settle CREW’s concerns.

“The Foundation claimed on its tax returns that it engaged in no political activity and listed a different, permissible group as receiving the contribution,” CREW’s press release said. “Despite Trump’s spokeswoman claiming, ‘all is squared away’ with the IRS because Trump or the Foundation paid a penalty, we checked, and the Foundation still has not corrected false information on its tax return, nor did the penalty address the false statements on tax returns or the new allegations raised in today’s complaint.”

Trump has said he never talked with Bondi about Trump University. Bondi has also contended her office never recommended an investigation.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton blasted the donation as illegal on Tuesday, but Bondi is holding her ground in regard to the contribution.

“Of course I asked Donald Trump for a contribution, but that’s not what this is about,” CNN quoted Bondi as saying. “(Clinton) said he was under investigation by my office at the time and I knew about it. None of which is true.”

CREW filed a similar complaint against the Trump Foundation in March after it first noticed the donation. The group has also filed an IRS complaint against the Foundation for allegedly being used illegally to benefit Trump’s campaign. CREW has also filed complaints with the Inspector General for Florida’s Office of the Attorney General and the state’s Commission on Ethics in regard to Bondi’s role in the alleged matter.

The Sept. 7 complaint implores the IRS to “investigate the Trump Foundation and, should it find that the foundation violated its tax-exempt status or other provisions of the tax code and federal law, take appropriate action.” That action, the complaint suggests, could include revoking nonprofit status, demanding appropriate taxes and referring the issue to the U.S. Department of Justice.

To read the full complaint filed by CREW on Sept. 7, visit the organization online.

Image via Gage Skidmore, Flickr, used under Creative Commons