Trump's legal defense fund hasn't listed any legal expenses: tax documents
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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/top-trump-donors-made-largest-contributions-legal-defense/story?id=57061721
A legal defense fund set up to help Trump allies caught up in the ongoing probe of Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election does not appear to have spent any money on legal
services, according to tax records shared with ABC News.
A handful of top Trump donors collectively donated nearly $200,000 to the Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust between March and June, but so far, the fund has listed expenditures
totaling less than $50,000 to an insurance provider and an accounting firm.
The fund, which was set up by President Donald Trump’s lawyers in February to provide financial support for legal expenses incurred by any Trump campaign employee, consultant,
fundraiser or volunteer (excluding Trump’s family members) questioned in the ongoing probe of Russian election meddling, is required as a 527 political organization to disclose
contributions and expenditures.
Monday’s revelations, however, arrive as a growing number of people from across the political spectrum have been asking what has become of the fund. Multiple sources who have
been questioned by investigators told ABC News on the condition of anonymity that their requests for assistance either went completely unanswered or resulted in no financial
assistance.
Michael Caputo, a public relations executive and onetime Trump campaign aide, reached out to the fund for help as he was facing mounting legal bills before his May interviews with
congressional investigators and special counsel prosecutors, but he told ABC News he received no reply. And last week, five Senate Democrats sent a letter to the newly-confirmed
director of the Office of Government Ethics urging the agency to investigate whether the fund is in compliance with federal law and ethics guidelines, citing the lack of transparency in
the fund’s guidelines.
"The Fund lacks transparency: both donors and recipients could potentially be shielded from public disclosure and it is impossible to know which donors supplied money for
contributions to which employees, making it impossible to discern whether donations are legal or ethical," the senators wrote.
Former Rep. Nan Hayworth, a Republican from New York, who is listed as the fund’s interim manager, did not respond to multiple calls and emails from ABC News. The White House did
not respond to ABC News' request for comment.
Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist with watchdog group Public Citizen, told ABC that by his count there are more legal defense funds under this administration than
under all previous administrations combined, and he called on government ethics officials to lay out rules for how they should function, especially in light of the opportunity for
wealthy special interests to attempt to buy favors from government officials.
Asource familiar with Flynn’s legal defense fund said the fund, which has not released fundraising figures since he pleaded guilty to lying to investigators, has helped Flynn combat
skyrocketing legal expenses.
“General Flynn’s legal bills are in the multiple seven figures,” the source told ABC News. “His legal defense fund has helped defray a fraction of the costs.”
Why are Trump supporters donating to the (P)LEFT anyways? You'd think Trump supporters would lean more right than pleft.
cuz they are willing to forfeit their rights
It’s beginning to look a lot like embezzlement~
When you feel the need to con your supporters out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for your own criminal defense and that of your accomplices, and furthermore feel the need to assign that fund a title as pathetic and disingenuous as Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust, you might the bad guy.
The way you describe it, it's just stack on stacks on stacks of corruption--Like a big stack of corrupt pancakes with embezzleberry syrup!
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