SCAMMED: Justice Department looks into Trump fundraising fraud

SCAMMED: Justice Department looks into Trump fundraising fraud

A series of new subpoenas in the Justice Department’s investigation focuses on Trump’s fundraising between his election loss and his exit from office in January.

They believe he may have defrauded donors out of hundreds of millions of dollars when he claimed the money would go into a fund to “defend” elections, alongside false claims that the 2020 election was ‘stolen.’

Emails sent to supporters throughout this period touted an “Election Defense Fund,” as Trump’s allies proclaimed in courtrooms, on news and opinion programs, at press conferences, and online, that Democrats or foreign entities had used one method or another to ‘steal’ Trump’s rightful win and hand the election over to Joe Biden.

Even as it was proven over and over that the only reason Joe Biden won the election was that he received more votes than Trump, he continued to push the Big Lie.

Donations poured in, over $200 million, from people who apparently truly believed Trump could alter the outcome of the election.

He and the attorneys and others touting his claims were so effective and convincing that his fans even showed up in droves for a rally-turned-riot, many genuinely believing that they could force Congress to send back electoral votes for Biden.

Ultimately, the legal issue is that it was all a lie.

Trump did not win the election, voting machines didn’t flip votes (even his own allies admit this when they’re off the record), the pressure campaigns and lawsuits didn’t cancel the transfer of power, and, it seems, there was never actually an ‘Election Defense Fund.’ From Washington Post:

“Prosecutors also sought information about an “Election Defense Fund” — cited in some fundraising emails that asked for donor money to challenge the election — and any documents about whether such a fund existed or whether there were plans for such a fund. Trump advisers told the Jan. 6 committee that references to the fund in pitches was a marketing tactic and no such segregated fund ever existed.”

It’s not the first allegation that Trump and/or his campaign took money from donors under false pretenses, either.
Earlier in 2020, his supporters who thought they were making one-time donations to his campaign learned belatedly that they’d been signed up for recurring donations, according to a New York Times report.
In one case, a supporter in hospice care for cancer gave $500 — fully half his monthly income — only to have another $500 removed from his account the following day, and further unintended ‘donations’ until he’d unwittingly ‘given’ the self-proclaimed billionaire over $3,000, and his utility and rent payments were bouncing.
This current allegation was originally brought up by the January 6th Committee during their investigation. You can see their presentation on the matter below.
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1536400497007009794
Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: