Trump pays IRS penalty for improper Trump Foundation donation

[Winehole23]

Of all of Donald Trump’s controversies from the early summer, the one about Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) was one of the toughest to explain away. As we discussed (http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-u-scandal-gets-worse-floridas-ag) a few months ago, the Republican A.G. briefly considered joining a multi-state suit against “Trump University,” but Bondi dropped the investigation (http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/state-attorneys-general-get-caught-trump-u-scandal) after the Trump Foundation made a $25,000 contribution towards her re-election campaign.

It didn’t help matters that Bondi “personally solicited (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/florida-ag-asked-trump-for-donation-before-nixing-fraud-case/2016/06/06/46d898c4-2c47-11e6-b9d5-3c3063f8332c_story.html)” the money from Trump while her office was considering a case against “Trump University.”


Also unclear was why the Trump Foundation, ostensibly a charitable entity, was making a campaign contribution. The Washington Post reported (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/09/01/trump-pays-irs-a-penalty-for-his-foundation-violating-rules-with-gift-to-florida-attorney-general/) late yesterday that the questions prompted IRS scrutiny and a penalty the Republican presidential candidate paid this year.

Donald Trump paid the IRS a $2,500 penalty this year, an official at Trump’s company said, after it was revealed that Trump’s charitable foundation had violated tax laws by giving a political contribution to a campaign group connected to Florida’s attorney general. […]

In [its 2013] tax filings, The Post reported, the Trump Foundation did not notify the IRS of this political donation. Instead, Trump’s foundation listed a donation – also for $25,000 – to a Kansas charity with a name similar to that of Bondi’s political group. In fact, Trump’s foundation had not given the Kansas group any money.

The prohibited gift was, in effect, replaced with an innocent-sounding but nonexistent donation.


Trump’s organization blames all of this on a series of unintended mistakes, which have since been resolved.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-pays-irs-penalty-following-controversial-donation

[Winehole23]

are any of you corruption crusaders willing to connect the dots?

[z0sa]

It's good to see the American dream is still alive and well for everyone in and able to influence the 1%.

[Winehole23]

we have a vendible system of justice -- for anyone who can afford it

[Reck]

Man, I would love to see this guys taxes. That would probably end his campaign which is why he's not releasing shit.

[Winehole23]

It's not legally required, so he won't do it. Tradition and public expectations of transparency be damned.

[rmt]

I heard that Pence say he'll release his tax return in the next week and that Trump will release his before the election.

[Winehole23]

if he does, we'll find out he's worth far less than he says and that he pays very little in taxes. what's the upside?

downside seems bigger, tbh. .

[Xevious]

if he does, we'll find out he's worth far less than he says and that he pays very little in taxes. what's the upside?

downside seems bigger, tbh. .
This. I'm willing to bet he pays shit for tax.

[Reck]

I heard that Pence say he'll release his tax return in the next week and that Trump will release his before the election.

This is a cheap ploy to get the Clinton camp to shut up about the tax returns. They're feeling the heat so by saying I'll release mine next week and Trump some other time they're hoping that will quiet everyone for a while.

Trump has no intention of releasing his tax returns. None.

[Reck]

By the way, this was a new low for you retard. Saying you heard something to try to defend the indefensible. That's a new low for the lowest IQ on the planet. Ducks is embarrassed for you at this point.

What are you talking about? I'm defending who?

[ducks]

Man, I would love to see this guys taxes. That would probably end his campaign which is why he's not releasing shit.

not required by law and if he is worth 4 billion like forbes says or 10 billion does it really matter?
if he does not pay any taxes it is smart if he can deduct that it is called being a smart business person. irs is auditing him and if they find everything legit then it is not a big deal

it is not like clinton has told the truth about her emails!

[Reck]

not required by law and if he is worth 4 billion like forbes says or 10 billion does it really matter?
if he does not pay any taxes it is smart if he can deduct that it is called being a smart business person. irs is auditing him and if they find everything legit then it is not a big deal

Of course it's called being smart when you're Trump.

When you try to make money the way the Clintons do, its called corruption and not legit. When you cheat and commit IRS fraud, it's called sucess.

What a job defending Trump must feel like.

[ducks]

lets see in the audit if he has to pay more taxes it is not corruption when the audit is over and he has to not pay any more taxes

[CosmicCowboy]

I guess you guys don't understand that a tax return just shows annual income and has absolutely nothing to do with net worth.

[boutons_deux]

Trump tries to explain away Florida AG controversy

Consider the series of events:


1. Bondi’s AG office considered joining a case against the scandal-plagued “Trump University”
2. The Trump Foundation sent $25,000 to help Bondi’s campaign
3. Bondi ended the investigation into “Trump University”
4. The Trump Foundation misreported the improper contribution
5. The IRS fined Trump’s operation

According to Trump and Bondi, these developments amount to a series of coincidental missteps.

Given the Republican candidate’s comments yesterday, however, there’s an angle to this that probably deserves some additional scrutiny: why did Trump send Bondi $25,000 in the first place?

Also according to Trump’s campaign, he wasn’t trying to derail an investigation into his so-called “school.”

So why write a $25,000 check in a state A.G. race?

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-tries-explain-away-florida-ag-controversy?cid=sm_fb_maddow

[Winehole23]

It was an unfortunate mistake. The Trump Foundation meant to send it to a similarly named entity in Kansas.

It was by sheer accident that the foundation sent it instead to the AG that was reviewing merits of the Trump U lawsuit.

[Winehole23]

board Trumpistas seem to care very little about corruption when their guy is behind it

[boutons_deux]

CNN panel bursts into laughter as Kayleigh McEnany claims Trump money to Bondi exposes ‘the system’

http://2d0yaz2jiom3c6vy7e7e5svk.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/maxresdefault-6-800x430.jpg

After a clip was shown of Trump admitting,”I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And you know what? When I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them, and they are there for me,” and ““When I call, they kiss my ass,” McEnany attempted spin the questionable contribution in away that almost sounded like an admission of guilt.

“He’s exposing the system,” she blurted as the entire panel burst into laughter.

“That’s the way Washington works.

He’s exposing the system and he’s admitting what he does.

This was not the case with Attorney General Bondi and it’s very important to point that out and here’s what Donald Trump does!”

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/09/cnn-panel-bursts-into-laughter-as-kayleigh-mcenany-claims-trump-money-to-bondi-exposes-the-system/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29

:lol

[boutons_deux]

REVEALED: Trump gave Bondi massive discount for resort fundraiser after she quashed lawsuit

Donald Trump hosted a fundraiser for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s (R) re-election campaign less than a year after she decided not to investigate Trump University, the Huffington Post reported. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-pam-bondi-trump-university_us_57cf2c6ce4b0a48094a64854)

The March 2014 event at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach cost the state Republican Party $4,855.65 — a far cry from the $140,000 Trump later charged his own presidential campaign for use of the facility. Tickets to the event cost $3,000 per person.

The Post noted that even as he accuses Clinton of engaging in “pay to play” through her own charitable foundation, Trump has bragged that he is able to wield influence with elected officials through his contributions.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/09/revealed-trump-gave-bondi-massive-discount-for-resort-fundraiser-after-she-quashed-lawsuit/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29 (http://www.rawstory.com/2016/09/revealed-trump-gave-bondi-massive-discount-for-resort-fundraiser-after-she-quashed-lawsuit/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29)

[FromWayDowntown]

are any of you corruption crusaders willing to connect the dots?

They aren't hard to connect and Trump's version of pay-for-play (or pay-for-not-suing-me-over-the-fraud-that-is-TrumpU) wasn't exclusive to Florida.

At the very least, the notion that the termination of an investigation into the fraud of Trump U coincided temporally with a significant political contribution to a state attorney general isn't exclusive to Florida.


I guess you guys don't understand that a tax return just shows annual income and has absolutely nothing to do with net worth.

Are you sure about that? Tax returns do report income earned as interest and most 1040's will include a schedule that identifies earned interest and dividends, which would say something more about one's wealth (and the places where that wealth is housed) than you suggest.

[hater]

Blah, blah. Mistakes happen. They have been corrected and Time to move the fuck on

[CosmicCowboy]

Are you sure about that? Tax returns do report income earned as interest and most 1040's will include a schedule that identifies earned interest and dividends, which would say something more about one's wealth (and the places where that wealth is housed) than you suggest.

Yeah, I'm extremely confident you can't determine someone like Trumps net worth from a tax return. You might identify income from a property or subsidiary, or interest paid by a property or subsidiary, but you can't determine equity in properties based on a tax return which would be a huge part of his net worth.

[FromWayDowntown]

Yeah, I'm extremely confident you can't determine someone like Trumps net worth from a tax return. You might identify income from a property or subsidiary, or interest paid by a property or subsidiary, but you can't determine equity in properties based on a tax return which would be a huge part of his net worth.

I didn't say it would prove it, just that it would say something about it.

Beyond that -- and aside from Trump's refusal amounting to a thumbing of his nose at the historical precedent of at least that degree of transparency -- the disclosures of the things that you mention is a significant part of the justification for disclosure: to allow citizens to have some ability to know of the relationships between Presidential candidates and other entities/people/nations.

[SnakeBoy]

I didn't say it would prove it, just that it would say something about it.


His net worth? Not really.

Most of Trump's net worth is in property and the real value of those properties isn't something you would see on a tax return.

I doubt Sterling had any tax returns (or anything else) showing the Clippers to be worth $2 billion.

I get the tax return issue but why are some people so focused on proving Trump is less of a billionare than he claims. Why give a fuck if he's worth 4,5,6,7,8,9, or 10 billion...he's still a billionare.

[FromWayDowntown]

His net worth? Not really.

Most of Trump's net worth is in property and the real value of those properties isn't something you would see on a tax return.

I doubt Sterling had any tax returns (or anything else) showing the Clippers to be worth $2 billion.

I get the tax return issue but why are some people so focused on proving Trump is less of a billionare than he claims. Why give a fuck if he's worth 4,5,6,7,8,9, or 10 billion...he's still a billionare.

I honestly couldn't care less if he can't pay next month's bills; my concern is respecting precedent and ensuring that there aren't any undisclosed conflicts of interest. At the end of the day, the value of his properties is ascertainable by public records; the possibility of financial relationships with questionable actors isn't. His tax returns might give some insight into his net worth (so the suggestion that there's no need for him to produce them if one question is net worth strikes me as a poor excuse for resisting production), but they will give a significant insight into any dubious financial associations.

[boutons_deux]

"why are some people so focused on proving Trump is less of a billionare than he claims"

because he's LIED about everything else. If says he's worth $10B but really on $4B as some say, then that's another lie.

[boutons_deux]

I heard Trash say "I will speak to MY generals ... " :lol Holy shit, this Trash guy is really fucked up.

[tlongII]

He really needs to be coached into saying "I do not recall" about 30 times. That would fix everything.

[hater]

He really needs to be coached into saying "I do not recall" about 30 times. That would fix everything.

or he can just say with a straight face in front of all the cameras: "AMERICA, I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN!"

case solved

[hater]

case solved

[Winehole23]

you're delusional. sound bites don't solve anything.