Trump takes heat over political donations

“While the fact that Bondi’s office decided not to pursue charges against Trump U. may be completely legit, speculation about “pay for play” continues to color this story, and it ain’t helped by statements that Trump has made on the stump, statements that his fans love for “telling” it like it is”.

The donation was made to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s fundraising committee in September 2013, days after a news report that her office was considering joining a lawsuit against Trump University for fraud.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been trying to draw more attention to the controversy surrounding Trump’s foundation, routinely noting a disparity in coverage between the two foundations.

“[Trump’s] comments were in reference to any discussion about Trump University-not the donation”, spokeswoman Hope Hicks told Politico, admitting that the two may have spoken, but not about the major investigation that was then hanging over Trump’s head. It also flips a big narrative of the campaign: Trump has long accused Clinton of pay-to-play politics, and now he’s under scrutiny for the same. And in 2000, the NY state lobbying commission imposed a $250,000 fine for Trump’s failing to disclose the full extent of his lobbying of state legislators.

Trump paid a $2,500 fine to the IRS because charitable foundations are not allowed to make political contributions under tax law. “If she applied for a low-level job at the State Department today, just a low-level job, she couldn’t even get a security clearance based on what she’s done”, he said. “Never. Many of the AGs turned that case down because I’ll win that case in court, many turned that down.I just have a lot of respect for her and she’s very popular”.

Harris’ office said it, too, was investigating the company, and an aide said she donated the $6,000 from Trump to charity. And in NY state, it is illegal to call anything that’s isn’t actually a university, a university. He added: “When they call, I give”.

Bondi’s spokesman disputes the idea that Florida’s attorney general was considering her own legal action against Trump University.

However, occasionally Trump will dip into the foundation’s holdings to buy things for himself. Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was asked about the tainted contribution Wednesday on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Particularly after the media had for weeks been focused on the foundation of the candidate’s rival, finding no shortage of things that sounded kind of Icky Woods but nothing almost as definitive as the other candidate’s illegal contribution. The show touted Bondi as the first female attorney general of Florida and the only Republican woman attorney general anywhere in the country. Trump University purported to be a series of seminars on how to become a real estate magnate. And she’s done an awesome job as the attorney general of Florida.