Trump Fined For Using His Charitable Foundation To Bribe Pam Bondi To Cover Up Trumpanzee University Crimes

Back in June, as a caption to a Trumpanzee gif I wrote that "Hillary isn't my idea of an honest politician but her level of crookedness is nowhere near Trump's," a corollary, I suppose of the lesser-of-two-evils theorem of American politics. Although neither has been charged-- let alone in prison-- it's been known for several months that Trumpanzee bribed Florida's shady Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to drop her investigation into the fraud charges against Trumpanzee University, which had ripped of hundreds of Florida students. Worse, yet, Bondi solicited the bribe from Trump-- a quid pro quo if I ever heard one! AP reported then that Bondi "personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates." The $25,000 was funneled to her PAC-- And Justice For All, illegally, through a tax-deductible charity, a Trump family foundation, on Sept. 17, 2013-- four days after Bondi's office publicly announced she was considering joining a New York state probe of Trump University's activities. As soon as she basically shook Trump down for the $25,000 her office claimed there was "insufficient grounds to proceed." That in spite of "thousands of pages of records related to consumer complaints about Trump University and its affiliates filed with Bondi's office... Many of the Trump-related consumers alleged that they paid money for training materials and personalized instruction which were never delivered." Bind lied to the media and claimed she only got one complain, when in fact, there were at least 20.

Late last week, David Fahrenthold, writing for the Washington Post, reported that Señor Trumpanzee paid an IRS fine for how he paid the bribe, rather than anything to do with the criminal nature of the bribe itself.

Trump's charitable foundation-- through which he funnels other people's money into "charities" he wants to be perceived to be supporting-- paid Bondi's PAC $25,000 to shut down the case, an improper use of a charitable foundation. Slyly Trump tried to cover his tracks by claiming the gift was for an actual charity in Kansas. Once exposed, the Trumpanzee Organization called it a mistake and agreed to the small fine. A Trumpanzee lackey claimed "It was just an honest mistake... It wasn’t done intentionally to hide a political donation, it was just an error."

[T]he 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.

...[W]hen the Trump Foundation sent in its tax filings that year, it compounded the original error by leaving out any mention of a political gift. When the IRS form asked if the Trump Foundation had spent money for political purposes that year, the foundation wrote "No."

Then, the Trump Foundation told the IRS about a gift that did not exist.

The foundation told the IRS that it had given $25,000 to a third group, a charity in Kansas with a similar name, "Justice for All." In fact, the Trump Foundation had not actually sent the Kansas group any money.

This new, incorrect listing had the effect of camouflaging the prohibited gift. Trump's CFO said that the listing of the Kansas group was another mistake, made by the foundation's accountants.

Meanwhile, Bondi has attempted to return the bribe that is likely to end her political career and force her to stand trial one day, but Trump has refused to accept it back!

"Lock up Crooked Hillary Clinton!"