Free Republic

The anonymous whistleblower at the center of the House’s impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump is allegedly soliciting illicit donations through a GoFundMe account, according to a complaint filed with the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG). The complaint claims that the whistleblower, who reportedly works at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), violated federal law by collecting over a quarter of a million dollars from largely anonymous sources. Fox News first reported on the complaint, which was filed last week. Federal law prevents government employees from soliciting donations “given because of the employee’s official position” or donations from “prohibited sources,” meaning...

EXCLUSIVE: A newly filed complaint to the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) alleges that the whistleblower whose allegations touched off House Democrats' impeachment inquiry may have violated federal law by indirectly soliciting more than a quarter-million dollars from mostly anonymous sources via a GoFundMe page. The complaint, which was filed last week and obtained by Fox News, alleged the donations from roughly 6,000 individuals "clearly constitute" gifts to a current intelligence official that may be restricted because of the employee's official position pursuant to 5 CFR 2635.203 and other statutes. To date, the GoFundMe has raised over $227,000. The complaint...

Fox News’ Gregg Re has just reported that a second whistleblower, possibly a real one this time, filed a complaint last week with the Intelligence Community Inspector General about the original whistleblower, alleged to be Eric Ciaramella. Re wrote that Ciaramella “may have violated federal law by indirectly soliciting more than a quarter-million dollars from mostly anonymous sources via a GoFundMe page.” So far, 6,000 donors have contributed a total of $227,000. The new whistleblower alleges that these funds: clearly constitute gifts to a current intelligence official that may be restricted because of the employee’s official position pursuant to 5...

Supporters of a man who knifed and deflated a diaper-clad “Baby Trump” balloon so the president would not see it during his visit to watch a University of Alabama football game have raised almost $40,000 to pay his legal fees. A GoFundMe page created Saturday asks for donations to help Hoyt Deau Hutchinson, 32, “pay legal fees and restitutions” for the balloon had raised $39,641 as of Monday afternoon. The goal for fundraiser was initially set at $6,000. Hutchinson allegedly cut an 8-foot-long gash into the back of the giant inflatable, which depicted a bright orange Trump donning a diaper...

Whistleblower lawyers work with nonprofit to launch GoFundMe page seeking $100G ahead of possible testimony Lawyers for the whistleblower who has alleged possible wrongdoing by President Trump in his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky worked with a nonprofit group to establish a GoFundMe page seeking to raise an initial $100,000 for the whistleblower's legal defense, Fox News has learned. John Tye, a onetime whistleblower who founded the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid, told Fox News he was working with the whistleblower's lawyers at the Compass Rose Legal Group as a matter of principle. Their fundraising page, which can be found...

There are so many things wrong with this story - “He went underwater to propose to his girlfriend, but he didn't live to hear her say ‘yes’” - and all of them are related to social media. Before Facebook/Twitter/Instagram reduced all significant life events to the ubiquitous selfie and/or video clip it might have been sufficient to take your girlfriend to a $1700/night resort, where you booked a glass room submerged 30 feet below water, to propose. But then, I’m so old that I remember when that trip wouldn’t have happened until after the wedding so what do I know?But...

LOS ANGELES - A longtime assistant Los Angeles city attorney killed himself last week after gunning down his wife and 19-year-old son, police officials said. Authorities were alerted to the killings when Eric Lertzman's daughter, 25, fled to a neighbor's house after escaping through a bathroom window, according to an LAPD news release. The dead include Lertzman, 60; his wife, Sandra Lertzman, also 60; and their 19-year-old son Michael Lertzman. The daughter's identity was not revealed by police, but Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer identified her as Rachel Lertzman. Sandy Lertzman's sister, Cindy Stern, wrote on Facebook of the...

Crowdfunding site GoFundMe reportedly shut down a page set up to benefit an Indiana police officer who was involved in an on-duty shooting. According to the South Bend Tribune, the organization shut the page down because it insisted the page was supporting a "hate crime." What are the details? The page was set up as a legal defense fund for South Bend Police Sgt. Ryan O'Neill, who was sued after an on-duty shooting. The company reportedly shut down the page after insisting that the campaign supported a "hate crime." South Bend Fraternal Order of Police President Harvey Mills told the...

The viral footage revealed that the teen had been removed from class for stating that there are only two genders, with the teacher telling him that whilst the boy was entitled to his “opinion”, he could not share it at school because “the authority” and school policy dictated that there are many genders and to assert otherwise was “not acceptable” and tantamount to discrimination. “I know what you think, and I know what the authority thinks, I know the authority’s point of view is very clear,” the teacher is heard saying. In the interview, the boy said the issue first...

The crowdfunding website GoFundMe canceled a fundraiser supporting the defense of South Bend Police Sgt. Ryan O'Neill, the white police officer who shot and killed Erick Logan, a 54-year-old black man. O'Neill alleged that Logan was breaking into cars with an 8-inch knife and threatened him before the officer had to shoot in self-defense. O'Neill was wearing his body camera but did not turn it on. Black Lives Matter activists have called for O'Neill to be fired. The police union accused Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is running for president, of accusing the police of racism for political gain. They have...

When Australian rugby star Israel Folau’s team contract was terminated after he voiced the principles of his Christian faith, he turned to GoFundMe Australia to crowdsource funds for his legal action against Rugby Australia. Three days later, the popular fundraising platform took down his page with plans to refund all donors. “As a company, we are absolutely committed to the fight for equality for LGBTIQ+ people and fostering an environment of inclusivity,” GoFundMe Australia manager Nicola Britton said, according to The Guardian. After his fundraising page was shut down, a “non-party partisan, non-denominational” group called Australian Christian Lobby reached out...

Big League Politics can confirm that several wealthy benefactors are attempting to contact Shawn Brooks, the user who uploaded the viral Nancy Pelosi meme in which she appeared even less coherent than usual, to help him sue Daily Beast, CNN, Facebook, and others involved in his recent doxxing as he announces his legal defense fund on GoFundMe. Brooks was doxxed by Daily Beast writer and former black hat hacker Kevin Poulsen after he uploaded the viral clip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appearing to stammer and slur her words more than usual. Poulsen apparently colluded with Facebook to dox Brooks,...

When we were discussing this a couple of weeks ago, I’ll confess that I was still remaining at least somewhat skeptical (hey… I’m a cynic at heart) while hoping for the best. The “We Build the Wall” GoFundMe project has been running a bit behind their projected schedule to begin construction, leading some to wonder where all the money they raised has been going and if the project would ever get off the ground. Well, allow me to offer my apologies for any doubts I may have harbored. The group recently announced the completion of their first border wall...

BARCELONA, Spain — In what might be seen as a Memorial Day gift to President Trump, residents of a mountain range outside of El Paso today woke up to a new vista—a mile-long wall of metal slats constructed along the border with Mexico that just shot up over the weekend. The secret project, which started on Friday evening and was completed by Monday morning, was the work of We Build the Wall, a new group whose director is the former White House strategist Steve Bannon. The CEO is Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, who had raised $20 million to build...

“A portion of his remains, from his heart, will be launched into orbit, where he will watch over the Earth, and we can track his location as he showers the world with love.” Munt, who also owns another cat named Zee, started Pikachu’s fundraising campaign about two months ago, and as of April 25, he has raised $1,615 of the $5,000 goal. Celestis charges $5,000 for its “Earth orbit pet launch service,” which is one of four different options the company offers for pet memorial spaceflights. According to celestispets.com, the container of the pet’s ashes will be “placed in Earth...

PayPal and GoFundMe have banned the militia that made headlines for livestreaming their detention of 300 migrants at the southern border. The militia, the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP), claims to be comprised of many former law enforcement and military members. In a statement to BuzzFeed, PayPal claimed that the group violated their “Acceptable Use Policy.” “The account associated with United Constitutional Patriots has been closed due to a violation of our Acceptable Use Policy,” the spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “We do not allow PayPal services to be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory.”...

Three days after Johnny Bobbitt Jr. was sentenced for his role in a GoFundMe campaign that netted $402,706 and defrauded donors with a fake Good Samaritan tale, Katelyn McClure appeared before the same judge in Superior Court in Mount Holly to admit her role in a conspiracy that preyed on people’s sympathies. McClure, 29, of Bordentown, pleaded guilty Monday before Judge Christopher Garrenger as part of an agreement that calls for her to face a four-year prison term. McClure admitted that she and her ex-boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, befriended Bobbitt, 36, a former homeless veteran, outside a Philadelphia casino. She said...

An article about the practice sparked outrage over income inequality. Luxury yachts in St. Tropez. Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images People who own yachts have lots of things to worry about. Is a yacht a good financial investment? (Usually not.) Will a group of class-warfare-waging rascals untie the boat from its dock, causing thousands of dollars in damage? (If you're Betsy DeVos, yes.) And then there's the latest concern plaguing superyacht owners: Is a yacht really a good place to store an art collection, which is worth more than the yacht itself? A growing number of billionaires -- at least...

Brian Kolfage, a triple amputee Air Force veteran who started a crowdsourcing campaign to raise money to pay for a border wall, told Breitbart News Saturday media reports the effort has failed are fake news. Following Kolfage’s announcement about the 501(c)3, We Build The Wall, Inc., the leftist media said all of the money donated to the GoFundMe campaign would be refunded. In fact, the spokesperson for the fundraising website said that the donations would be automatically refunded if the campaign doesn’t reach its $1 billion goal, unless donors specifically direct their contribution to the new organization. “The money is...

<p>MIRAMAR, Florida -- A Florida veteran's attempt to raise $1 billion in border wall funding has ended after raising only two percent of his goal.</p> <p>Purple Heart recipient and triple amputee veteran Brian Kolfage launched a GoFundMe campaign in December and raised $20 million through the first two weeks of January 2019.</p>