Posted on 01/27/2016 11:56:38 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Trump's standard line when he is about to storm out of a media event because he doesn't like how it covers him is that he is going to go host an event to raise money for veterans. Thus it was no surprise when he announced that he would be skipping the FoxNews event to hold a separate event to raise money for.... well, "veterans," generally. Of course, Trump did not name a specific charity so that his feet might be held to the fire on this, just "veterans," generally.
Well, there are two small problems. The main veterans group that Trump has used for publicity stunts in the past, the Wounded Warrior Project, was the subject of a scathing CBS report and recently lost their tax exempt status. Besides, if Trump is planning on using them, he hasn't told anyone from the group. Per CNN, the Wounded Warrior Project has not even been contacted by Trump about possibly doing an event tomorrow.
If he is doing it for some other group, they are now lining up to say that they don't want any money Trump might make off of promoting himself, and will reject it if offered.
>>>Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America founder Paul Rieckhoff tweeted Wednesday that he would decline any contributions that came from the event, which Trump has proposed in place of his attending Fox News' debate this week.
"If offered, @IAVA will decline donations from Trump's event. We need strong policies from candidates, not to be used for political stunts," he said.
* * *
Two other veterans' groups also distanced themselves from Trump's announcement.
The Wounded Warrior Project said it was not aware of the candidate conducting any fundraising efforts on its behalf.
Meanwhile, VoteVets.org, which calls itself the nation's largest progressive veterans group, issued a statement titled: "Don't hide from Megyn Kelly behind us."<<<<
Trump has tried to tie fundraising for veterans with debates in the past. He said he had considered skipping CNN debates in September and December unless the network donated to veterans' groups.
Vote Vets is of course a lefty group, but the other two announcements are telling. Money is money, and if groups are pre-emptively declining it, that's a pretty good indication of just how tired of Donald Trump's crap the vast majority of the country is getting.
Of course, all of this assumes that Trump had any plans of giving the money to Veterans in the first place, as opposed to just saying that he was going to so that his temper tantrum would look more noble.
Thanks to our commenter TNGal for finding this story.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/18/politics/donald-trump-veterans-group/
Sept 2015:
Los Angeles (CNN)The veterans group that hosted Donald Trump for a speech this week on board a decommissioned battleship had its tax-exempt status revoked by the IRS in August.
The group, Veterans for a Strong America, sounds like a charity, and in a press release touted having more than a half-million supporters across the U.S. In reality, it is a political action group whose tax-exempt status was revoked in August because it failed to file tax returns for the past three years. The group is appealing the decision. In addition, CNN has found scant evidence that Veterans for a Strong America has the supporters it says it does.
The Trump campaign said it did not know about the organization’s issues until after the event. People paid between $100 and $1,000 to attend the speech on the U.S.S. Iowa.
The founder and chairman of VSA is a former Army officer named Joel Arends, who served in Iraq in 2004. He’s an attorney and political consultant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where VSA is based. In its most recent filing this spring with the Federal Election Commission, the organization reported it had $30 in the bank and owed $318 to a Washington consulting firm.................
Leon should see a head doctor before he loses his mind over Trump.
“You?”
Only prescribed medications for genuine, medical issues and, of course, a long list of off-the-shelf vitamins. ;-)
I saw *illegal recreational pharmaceuticals* AND alcohol ruin friends’ lives. Early on I came to the realization that even alcohol does, in fact, kill brain cells.
I was trying to make a joke. Maybe you should lighten up? ;-)
This is a phony article. I am glad Trump is not giving money to a fraudulent charity or a leftist group. There are many organizations that support veterans. The article listed three questionable ones and implied they represent all veteran’s Charities.
I easily found a link to many charities and I am certain that this is just a small percentage of the total.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=531#.VqnTheLSmUk
Just like...
He used the Football and Wrestling Iowa Teams for his rally and now those teams are in trouble because they cannot endorse a political candidate.....broke the rules....so Trump's team never checks things...ever! They just do what they do regardless who it's going to hurt.....
These kids could be eliminated from competing or/and penalized monetarily/p>
Chickenstuff Trump turns our Vets into beggars to hide his cowardice. Why doesn’t he give them jobs instead?
I saw that.
It's all about Trump and his bottom line:
"What's in it for me?"
Any “veterans” group that rejects Trump’s money is in reality a political group posing as a veterans group. It is they, not Trump, who are hiding behind veterans. If they truly cared about veterans first, they would accept money from any legal source.
He’ll have to bus people in again.....besides this isn’t about Kelli....it’s about a Presidential Primary and she’s not running...must be Trump thinks she is. LOLOL
Trump made a Yuge mistake in running away from the debate like a kid in a sandbox who cried when he got sand in his eyes.....the guy dishes it out but cries like a baby when it comes at him.....lolol...what a whimp!
See my post 32. You nailed it. CW is doing the repost BS again.
The guy on CNN tonight wrote an anti George W. book. He also is a don’t ask don’t tell advocate as per wiki.
Trump wasn’t giving him any money.
It’s interesting watching Trump tie himself in knots over this......it’s backfiring on him and he’s struggling to find a way to save face. ...and he’ll use anything and anyone to do that.
He’s spent his life shoring up his ego...which is what’s at the heart of his actions. Afraid to face the candidates he thought he could make an issue and Fox would dance around him.....they didn’t.
He was like a wounded puppy tonight on O’Rilley.....Speaking of....the two have been friends for 25 or more years...Trump looks to him like an older brother and why O’Rilley gets away with ‘schooling’ Trump, as he did tonight...
I think the idea that it’s the “Principle” of the thing some groups are refusing......Trumps been cautioned to get his team to verify and check the people he uses and the plans he makes because they haven’t been, for that he ends up looking like the jerk he often is.
I didn't know that. Interesting. I don't watch O'Rilley but for years I saw Trump on "Fox and Friends" - he was given a regular, lengthy, weekly segment (via the phone) to discuss his views on the news and to promote himself. They were always extremely deferential to him.
I donated to Cruz three times, from day one to a couple weeks ago.
I also plan to check articles before opening them and skip those that CW posts from now on. TDS indeed. She’s making me more sure that Trump/Cruz or Cruz/Trump would be just fine.
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