The long and sordid history of fraud and corruption, as perpetrated by Donald Trump.
From his tax-dodging, contractor-stiffing, fake-university-having younger years, to his tax-dodging, self-dealing, Emoluments Clause violating presidency – Donald Trump’s credentials in corruption are decades in the making and grow by the day.
≡ Nov. 5, 2020
Made dozens of claims without evidence including that Democrats were trying to “steal an election.”
Lies included (but were not limited to):
» Claiming Pennsylvania Democrats tried to “ban election observers very strongly.”
» Claiming his campaign had been “denied access to observe any counting in Detroit.”
» Claiming Georgia’s elections, overseen by a Republican Secretary of State, was “run by Democrats.”
» And of course:
“If they count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.”
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≡ Nov. 4, 2020
Falsely declared himself the winner of the 2020 presidential election while falsely claiming widespread fraud by Democrats.
» In what was surely among the most blatantly undemocratic moments in recent U.S. history, Trump – sensing an imminent reelection loss – declared himself the victor and claimed the Supreme Court would decide the election.
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≡ Oct. 11, 2020
Featured Dr. Fauci in presidential campaign ads without his permission and ‘out of context’.
» In response to the ad (which appeared to show the infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci endorsing Trump for president), Fauci said in a statement:
“In nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context.”
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≡ Sept. 27, 2020
Deducted $70,000+ for hairstyling expenses from his taxes.
» The expenses occurred over several years that Trump was filming for the “The Apprentice” and may have already been reimbursed for the expenses by NBC (as likely would have been in the shows contract), then the deductions would likely amount to criminal tax fraud.
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≡ Sept. 24, 2020
Report: President Trump has over 3,400 conflicts of interest.
Highlights from the report, compiled by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW):
• Trump has made more than 500 visits to properties he owns and profits from… his travel to and from his properties has cost American taxpayers well over $100 million.
• Trump has made more than 300 visits to the golf courses he owns and profits from…. [resulting in] at least a million dollars in taxpayer money being spent at his properties.
• 141 members of Congress have patronized Trump properties.
• Special interest and political groups have hosted or sponsored 208 events at Trump properties.
• Foreign government-tied entities have held 13 events at Trump properties, and at least 145 foreign officials have visited one of Trump’s properties.
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≡ Aug. 8, 2020
Promised to permanently end the payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare if he was re-elected.
A direct contradiction of his own assurances earlier in the year:
I will protect your Social Security and Medicare, just as I have for the past 3 years. Sleepy Joe Biden will destroy both in very short order, and he won’t even know he’s doing it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2020
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≡ July 10, 2020
Commuted the sentence of longtime friend and former campaign manager, Roger Stone.
» The day Roger Stone was set to report to prison for a 40-month sentence (after being convicted of seven charges including witness tampering, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators), Trump commuted his former campaign chairman’s entire sentence.
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≡ July 6, 2020
Trump family and associates granted millions in coronavirus relief meant for small businesses.
» Family and friend businesses received some $21,000,000 from the ‘Paycheck Protection Program’ – a limited government relief program intended to help small businesses retain employees during the coronavirus crisis.
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≡ May 18, 2020
Trump, his three eldest children, and Trump Corp. sued for promoting illegal pyramid scheme.
» The suit claims Trump & Co. broke multiple state laws and swindled victims out of $100’s or $1000’s through a multi-level marketing scheme.
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≡ May 15, 2020
Removed the State Departments inspector general overseeing investigations into himself and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
» State Department inspector general Steve Linick was investigating Trump for having declared “a state of emergency” in order to bypass Congressional approval of an $8.1B U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
» The non-partisan position has been filled by a close associate and ally of Vice President Mike Pence.
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≡ May 15, 2020
Removed the DoT’s inspector general overseeing investigations into Secretary of the DoT, Elaine Chao.
» Inspector general Mitchell Behm had been investigating Department of Transportation secretary Elaine Chao for allegedly using her office to aid the re-election prospects of her husband, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) by redirecting millions in federal funds to her husbands state.
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≡ May 1, 2020
Removed the DHHS inspector general over report hospitals were experiencing shortages of protective gear and COVID-19 test supplies.
» When asked about the Department of Health & Human Services report, Trump claimed it was “just wrong” and demanded to know the name and political history of whoever who produced it:
“It still could be her opinion. When was she appointed? Do me a favor and let me know. Let me know now. I have to know now.”
» The IG, Christi Grimm, is a career civil servant and contrary to the presidents claims, was not appointed during President Obama’s tenure.
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≡ May 2020
Received over $1,000,000+ from U.S. taxpayers for room rentals alone at his properties while president.
» This despite Eric Trump claiming they only charged government officials and Secret Service agents “like, 50 bucks” for rooms at Trump owned properties – the lowest room charge revealed by public documents was triple that. On the high end, Trump owned properties charged taxpayers as much $650 per night per room for Secret Service agents.
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≡ Apr. 7, 2020
Dismissed the DoD inspector general leading the ‘Pandemic Response Accountability Committee’.
» Days after being appointed to lead the oversight committee for the governments $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, Trump dismissed Glenn Fine as the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense – and thus, automatically kicking him from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (since only serving IG’s may be members).
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≡ Apr. 4, 2020
Removed the Intelligence Community’s inspector general.
» The IG, Michael Atkinson, was responsible for reporting the (now verified) whisteblower complaint that President Trump had withheld military aid from Ukraine pending a public declaration by its president that he was opening an investigation into the family of Trump’s leading political rival.
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≡ Apr. 2020
Awarded $55,000,000 contract for masks to bankrupt company with no employees or history of mask manufacturing.
» Despite two delivery date extensions, the company failed to produce or provide any masks and leading to the contract being cancelled.
[source]
≡ Apr. 2020
Holds investments in the pharmaceutical company that produces hydroxychloroquine.
» Although a relatively small stake to his overall wealth, Trumps investment is a conflict of interest and may well be a factor in his eagerness to push the drug as a “miracle cure” for COVID-19.
[Studies of hydroxychloroquine on patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have found no effect in reducing risk of death.]
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≡ Apr. 2020
Trump connected firms received vast amounts of coronavirus relief aid intended for small businesses.
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≡ 2020
Trump’s campaign allegedly dodging FEC rules to pay daughter-in-law and sons girlfriend $180,000 a year.
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≡ Dec. 12, 2019
Trump Foundation forced to dissolve and pay $2,000,000 to charities.
» Settlement followed lawsuits that the Trump family had used at least $258,000 in charity funds to pay legal fines and settlements unrelated to the tax-exempt foundation.
» $25,000 was spent as an illegal donation to the re-election campaign of Florida’s then-attorney general, Pam Bondi (at the time, her office had just announced it was considering joining other fraud investigations into Trump University – shortly after the donation, she opted out of representing Floridians defrauded by Trump ‘University’).
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≡ Oct. 2019
Owes $100,000’s to multiple cities for campaign rallies that required additional city security.
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≡ July 26, 2019
Approved an anti-competitive merger between two of the nations largest mobile carriers.
» The Trump administrations Justice Department approved of a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, a move that will significantly reduce mobile carrier competition and result in an increase in costs to consumers.
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≡ Feb. 15, 2019
Declared a national emergency on the southern border to bypass congressional approval for funding.
» Diverting $8 billion in funds from other government sources in order to funds border wall operations.
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≡ 2018
“Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” retains tax-loophole benefiting golf course owners – such as Trump.
» The loophole allows golf courses to abuse a deduction intended to promote conservation by requiring the land holder make assurances to a nonprofit ‘land trust’ – the trustee however, may be picked by, and even owned by, the land holder themselves.
» Closing the loophole would save billions in lost revenue annually.
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≡ Oct. 19, 2017
Awarded $300,000,000 no-bid contract to repair Puerto Rico’s electric infrastructure to small company with two employees.
» The company (Whitefish Energy) is based in former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s own hometown – and happens to be an old acquaintances of it’s CEO Andy Techmanski.
» The contract even included a clause preventing government audit or review of its labor costs and profits, leading to its cancellation by the governor of Puerto Rico and sparking an FBI inquiry.
[source]
≡ June 2017
Since his election, 70% of properties sold by the Trump Org. have been to anonymous shell companies.
» Up from only 2% before his election, the sudden interest by anonymous entities signals a blatant ethics violations and almost certain violation of the Constitutions Emoluments as secret entities funnel money directly to Trump through his properties and businesses.
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≡ June 2017
Proposed cutting housing assistance programs – except for a type of subsidy Trump is a recipient of.
» An partial owner of the countries largest subsidized housing complex, Trump makes at least $5,000,000 annually from the federal subsidy.
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≡ May 11, 2017
Fired Director of the FBI, James Comey.
» Fired the director via tweet (with Comey only learning of his firing when he saw it on a TV while speaking to a crowd of FBI agents); his firing came four months after he had declined to commit his “loyalty” to Trump.
» Trump has publicly stated on multiple occasions that he fired Comey for allowing FBI investigations into Russian election interference and its potential collusion with the Trump campaign.
“…in fact, when I decided to just do it, said to myself, I said: This Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should’ve won.”
—President Donald J. Trump (5.11.17).
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≡ Jan. 20, 2017
Refused to divest from his real estate companies or place his assets and businesses in a blind trust.
» Ignoring the Office of Government Ethics Office’s guidance as well as historic precedent and glaring conflicts of interest, Trump instead placed his 400+ businesses in a revocable trust in his son Don Jr.’s name.
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≡ Jan. 2017
Doubled membership fees to Mar-a-Lago following his election.
» In a blatant case of profiting from the presidency, President Trump raised membership fees for his Mar-a-Lago resort from $100,000 in 2016 to $200,000 at the start of 2017.
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≡ 2017
Sought to eliminate the ‘Foreign Corrupt Practices Act’.
» The Trump administration announced its intent to weaken or eliminate the global anti-bribery law prohibiting U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials to obtain contracts or retain business.
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≡ 2016-17
Anti-money laundering experts recommended Donald Trump and Jared Kushner be reported to the U.S. Treasury Department crimes-watchdog unit.
» Deutsche Bank anti-money laundering specialists found spotted potential money laundering transactions in Trump and Kushners accounts and even prepared the requisite ‘suspicious activity reports’ – but bank executives dismissed the reports, neglecting to share them with U.S. officials.
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≡ Nov. 2016
Trump University shuttered following lawsuit by former students resulting in $25M settlement.
» Around 3,730 defrauded students will be receive at least 90% of their money back.
Trump University | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (11.29.16)
[source]
≡ May 10, 2016
Used campaign funds to buy $55,000 worth of his own book.
» A potential FEC violation, the Trump election campaign purchased $55,000 worth of his book ‘Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again’.
[source]
≡ 2016
At least $8.2M of the Trumps election campaign funds were spent at companies owned by Trump or his children.
» Trumps level of self-dealing is unprecedented in U.S. political campaign history.
[source]
≡ 2016
Fined $2,500 by the IRS for using Trump Foundation funds to donate to political campaign.
» The donation was to the re-election campaign of then-Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi (who later represented Trump during his impeachment trial).
[source]
≡ 2009
The Trump Network, a multi-level marketing scheme, peddled bogus ‘personalized vitamin regiments’.
» Already suspect due to the pyramid-scheme nature of the business, the Trump Network made dozens of false claims and pushed multiple unproven remedies, frequently failing to disclose FDA-required disclaimers.
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≡ 2008
Funneled $2,300,000 through the Trump Foundation to dodge income taxes.
» Trump illegally funneled at least $2.3 million in income through his tax-exempt non-profit foundation in an effort to dodge paying income taxes.
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≡ 2005
Claimed $17,000,000 in insurance money for hurricane damage to Mar-a-Lago, despite no evidence of significant damage.
» Records show no hurricane damage related permits beyond a $3,000 to repair outdoor lighting and minor cleanup.
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≡ 1991
Trump Casino fined $450,000 for gifting known mobster and high-roller, Robert LiButti, $1,650,000 in luxury cars.
» The fine resulted from a Trump dodging a ban on cash gifts to patrons through a scheme of gifting luxury cars and cashing them out. The gifts were part of effort to retain LiButti’s patronage, as he had lost over $4,000,000 at the casino at that time.
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≡ 1990
Fined $65,000 for an illegal $3,000,000 loan from his father.
» When Donald was at imminent risk of defaulting on his casino payments, his father Fred Trump illegally loaned his son $3,350,000 by purchasing casino chips from the defaulting casino – allowing Donald to avoid legal requirements of paying down debt owed on his Trump Taj Mahal casino.
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≡ 1986
Fined $750,000 for breaking antitrust laws in attempted illegal takeover of two competing casinos.
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≡ 1980’s
Used shady and outright fraudulent tax practices to dodge estate-taxes on much of his $413,000,000 inheritance.
» Donald Trumps father, Fred Trump, transferred over $1B to his children but rather than pay the requisite 55% estate tax on gifts & inheritance, the Trumps paid barely 5%.
» Trump helped his father undervalue their real estate holdings by $100’s of millions, and used fake corporations to funnel millions of dollars around estate tax laws, thus dramatically reducing estate taxes and allowing his father to take massive, improper tax deductions.
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≡ 1980
Hired undocumented Polish workers to construct Trump Tower, cheating them of benefits and pay.
» Trump paid the workers well-below minimum wage and when they complained about not getting paid, Trump is alleged to have threatened them with deportation.
» After a 15-year long labor suit, Trump settled with the workers for $1,400,000.
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