The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold has been digging into Donald Trump’s charitable contributions for some time now, including the $6 million that Trump said he’d raised for veterans’ charities by skipping out on one of the primary debates and holding a rally instead.
Tuesday night, though, the Trump campaign reportedly went nuclear over a story alleging that Trump used $258,000 from his charity to settle four legal disputes.
Here's the @Fahrenthold story the Trump campaign is responding to: https://t.co/HHQNGajv45
— Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) September 21, 2016
In one case, from 2007, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club faced $120,000 in unpaid fines from the town of Palm Beach, Fla., resulting from a dispute over the height of a flagpole.
In a settlement, Palm Beach agreed to waive those fines — if Trump’s club made a $100,000 donation to a specific charity for veterans. Instead, Trump sent a check from the Donald J. Trump Foundation, a charity funded almost entirely by other people’s money, according to tax records.
The Trump campaign responded Tuesday night, but most reporters weren’t impressed with the written statement they received, nor by an appearance by Kellyanne Conway on CNN.
.@realDonaldTrump campaign just put out a statement. ICYMI, here were the Q's I sent them for my Trump Fdn story. https://t.co/Gfmen7V10p
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 21, 2016
None of which were answered https://t.co/tSYkuCnPzo
— Dan Eggen (@DanEggenWPost) September 21, 2016
Team Trump accuses Wash Post of getting facts wrong re: Trump Foundation, but doesn't identify a fact they got wrong pic.twitter.com/2aWcICuJDh
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) September 21, 2016
Trump statement on @Fahrenthold story doesn't deny anything in the story. pic.twitter.com/H3oXtPeQlZ
— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) September 21, 2016
What specifically was inaccurate or omitted? @nbcnews asked the campaign about the reporting earlier and have yet to receive a response. pic.twitter.com/U9VaPvAZaq
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) September 21, 2016
they
can't
prove@Fahrenthold
is
wrong https://t.co/m894Fuzdm3— Matt Pearce ? (@mattdpearce) September 21, 2016
The Trump response says there was no "intent or motive" for improper payments; it does not deny them, or detail any alleged inaccuracies. pic.twitter.com/QxrgrUxdVI
— Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) September 21, 2016
Trump campaign raising no specific allegations of inaccuracy, falsely suggests there’s no motive, misleads on Trump’s personal generosity https://t.co/nd5m98rFC8
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) September 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/778402192264949761
It's not a mislead, it's a complete lie. He took donated charity money to pay his own legal bills. His contributions were long gone. https://t.co/Xg8k3hoVwr
— Anthony DeRosa? (@Anthony) September 21, 2016
This is wild – campaign going nuclear on a reporter who has absolutely nailed the story https://t.co/BWSoLFB9qr
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) September 21, 2016
So, chances are pretty good that the news cycle will be moving on from the whole Skittles “controversy” now?
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