President Donald Trump has raked in at least $150 million in funding since the election took place last month after soliciting donations for an “Election Defense Fund,” though the money may be used elsewhere.
The New York Times reports that although the Trump campaign says it’s collecting money, as much as $170 million, to help with its legal fights to overturn the results of the election, almost 75% of the funds could go towards other endeavors. According to the Times, nearly $5,000 could be taken from a donor’s contribution and given to Trump’s new Save America PAC, which was established just a few weeks ago, and could be used to pay for staff and travel. Another 25% of a donation goes to the Republican National Committee.
“The average donor who gives in response to Trump’s appeal for funds to ‘stop the fraud’ likely doesn’t realize that their money is actually retiring Trump’s debt or funding his leadership PAC," Brendan Fischer, the Campaign Legal Center’s director for federal regulatory work, told The Washington Post. “Small donors who give to Trump thinking they are financing an ‘official election defense fund’ are in fact helping pay down the Trump campaign’s debt or funding his post-presidential political operation."
The Trump campaign also plans to use half of the money raised for its “Election Defense Fund” to pay off the debts it accumulated during his reelection bid.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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