Did we know Rangel was a crook in 2006? Was Rangel not the most senior member of the NY delegation in the U.S. Congress? Trump owns dozens of properties in Rangel's district. Get real.
Trump’s donated primarily to Dems over the years—59-41%, but more telling are those Republicans he has donated to: the closet Democrats like Crist, Specter and Kirk.
http://blogs.forbes.com/brendancoffey/2011/04/07/trumps-political-donations-are-left-leaning/
“Did we know Rangel was a crook in 2006? Was Rangel not the most senior member of the NY delegation in the U.S. Congress?”
Yes and yes. Rangel took his House seat from the egregiously corrupt Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (so corrupt that he actually got voted out of the House by his peers—a very rare event in a Congress full of thieves). Rangel was cut from the same cloth as his predecessor. But until and unless he is tossed, it would behoove those with property interests in NYC to remain in his good graces. If that requires greasing the skids, so be it.
I’m not inclined to hold Trump responsible for the corrupt system in which he must do business. Getting on his case for such donations—which he probably views as a cost of doing business—is a bit like criticizing Exxon for paying off a foreign official for letting their tankers into port etc.