The Eric Trump cover-up
Source: thinkprogress
Jun 6
On Tuesday, Forbes reported that Eric Trump has diverted more than $1 million donations to his kids-cancer charity to Trump golf courses. These costs were incurred during the Eric Trump Foundations annual golf fundraiser. But according to charity experts, the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.
The golf fundraiser was marketed as an opportunity for donors to have nearly their entire gift go to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, since the golf and other services were provided free of charge.
A former employee of the club, however, told Forbes that beginning in 2011, the charity was charged for the use of course and other services. Ian Gillule, membership and marketing director at Trump National Westchester, said the club began billing Eric Trumps foundation after Donald Trump had a cow.
I dont care if its my son or not everybody gets billed, Donald Trump said, according to Gillule.
The payments by the charity to the Trump Organization for its one-day tournament were also confirmed by a former member of the Eric Trump Foundation board. And the payments increased dramatically over time from $46,000 in 2011 to $322,000 in 2015.
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Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/eric-trump-cover-up-2d43b9ca213c
Link to tweet
This is the Forbes article referred to in OP:
Jun 6, 2017 @ 11:58 AM 975,196
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How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/06/06/how-donald-trump-shifted-kids-cancer-charity-money-into-his-business/#5415d5586b4a
Dan Alexander
This story appears in the June 29, 2017 issue of Forbes.
Duration Time 3:21
Bobby Bank / Wireimage / Getty Images
LIKE AUTUMN LEAVES, sponsored Cadillacs, Ferraris and Maseratis descend on the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York, in September for the Eric Trump Foundation golf invitational. Year after year, the formula is consistent: 18 holes of perfectly trimmed fairways with a dose of Trumpian tackiness, including Hooters waitresses and cigar spreads, followed by a clubhouse dinner, dates encouraged. The crowd leans toward real estate insiders, family friends and C-list celebrities, such as former baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry and reality housewife (and bankruptcy-fraud felon) Teresa Giudice.
The real star of the day is Eric Trump, the president's second son and now the co-head of the Trump Organization,..................................
The best part about all this, according to Eric Trump, is the charity's efficiency: Because he can get his family's golf course for free and have most of the other costs donated, virtually all the money contributed will go toward helping kids with cancer. "We get to use our assets 100% free of charge," Trump tells Forbes.
That's not the case. In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it's clear that the course wasn't free--that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization. Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.
Additionally, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has come under previous scrutiny for self-dealing and advancing the interests of its namesake rather than those of charity, apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations into revenue for the Trump Organization.
And while donors to the Eric Trump Foundation were told their money was going to help sick kids, more than $500,000 was re-donated to other charities, many of which were connected to Trump family members or interests, including at least four groups that subsequently paid to hold golf tournaments at Trump courses.
All of this seems to defy federal tax rules and state laws that ban self-dealing and misleading donors. It also raises larger questions about the Trump family dynamics and whether Eric and his brother, Don Jr., can be truly independent of their father.
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IN ORDER TO understand the Eric Trump Foundation, you need to understand the Donald J. Trump Foundation...........................
obamachangetheworld
(121 posts)I don't understand why it doesn't have more exposure.
riversedge
(70,239 posts)on news-or cable. Just caught Maddow (missed beginning of show). What a nice surprise it was to turn on the tube and there she was!!
dalton99a
(81,513 posts)rzemanfl
(29,565 posts)duhneece
(4,113 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)gordianot
(15,238 posts)crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)Princess Turandot
(4,787 posts)Uday was the older of the namesakes!
Freethinker65
(10,023 posts)The media knew from the beginning the Trump foundations laundered $$$$$ back to Trump but they decided to follow the fucking red herring Clinton Foundation "leads" instead.
Am glad Forbes finally decided it was time to give it some coverage. Trump is continuing to grift $$$ from hosting events at his properties while President that we taxpayers all pay for...probably at, or above, rack rates. Suddenly the GOP could not care less. Pathetic.
FM123
(10,053 posts)He said "you can't fake good kids" as he introduced them.
What an idiot. They are as deplorable as their psycho father.
riversedge
(70,239 posts)riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Where is the public outrage? Just more "Fake News", nothing to see here? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
riversedge
(70,239 posts)MrPurple
(985 posts)This whole family belongs in orange jumpsuits. Hopefully, the NY state AG's office will poach Eric and cut off his tail.
no_hypocrisy
(46,117 posts)canceled his appearance at their 2011 fundraiser. They sent out a press release condemning Seinfeld that included stuff like how disappointed the children of St. Jude were going to be.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/donald-trump-slams-jerry-seinfeld-181120. It now appears the money didn't arrive at St. Judes sans Seinfeld or otherwise.
jpak
(41,758 posts)Lock him up.
FSogol
(45,488 posts)Gothmog
(145,291 posts)Bradical79
(4,490 posts)Maybe Eric is sociopathic like Trump and was doing it to feel important, but the operation was legit for awhile.
I read the Forbes article entirely, and it appeared Eric Trump and his friends were trying to run the charity completely legit until 2011, doing some good work (despite the signature Trump tackiness the events embraced). Then Donald "Tiny Hands" Trump got mad and decided to get involved and turn it into another of his likely money laundering operations.
Of course Eric's character isn't much better considering he folded like a cheap tent and decided to partake in the spoils himself. Just like daddy, he ended up using charity funds to purchase personal items from a charity auction.
Donald though takes to another level by becoming furious over one of his kids actually helping sick children. It reminds me of an article I read about child sociopaths/psychopaths/extreme violent offenders. There was a little girl who only felt true joy when trying to kill her baby brother, and thinking of murdering the rest of her family. Reminds me of the sort of joy Donald seems to get from hurting people, and the anger towards Eric helping kids.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)and skimming money away from kids with cancer toward the bank account of Donnie Two-Scoops, the republican Draft Dodger-in-Chief.
Shameful republicans and their freaking greedy-ass, mean-spirited republican "family values."