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IRS complaint filed over Trump's illegal Florida AG donation
| New York Daily News | - |
Donald
Trump defended himself Monday against accusations that he made a
$25,000 political contribution to a group backing Florida Attorney
General Pam Bondi so that she wouldn't investigate his Trump University
project.
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Calls come for federal investigations into Trump's modeling agency and illegal charity donation
Trump denies speaking with Pam Bondi over investigation into defunct university
Wibbitz
A government watchdog group asked the IRS Wednesday to investigate Trump's illegal charity donation to the Florida Attorney General — right before a senator said immigration services needs to look into his crooked model agency.
Both announcements followed reports from last week revealing Trump may have broken federal tax, labor and immigration laws through shady tactics years ago.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked the IRS Wednesday to investigate if Trump is "personally liable" for an illegal charitable donation to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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Trump's charity, the Trump Foundation, gave $25,000 to Bondi's reelection campaign in 2013. Bondi announced soon afterward that Florida would not investigate fraud claims against the troubled Trump University — which is now the subject of federal lawsuits in New York and California.
The donation received minor media attention at the time. But it resurfaced last week after The Washington Post reported that Trump paid the IRS a $2,500 penalty for violating tax laws with the contribution. As a registered nonprofit, the Trump Foundation is barred from making political donations.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi with Donald Trump at a Tampa campaign event in March 2016.
(Gerald Herbert/AP)The Trump campaign dismissed the donation as "a minor issue" that had been settled. Asked about the donation in Ohio Monday, Trump told reporters he “never even spoke” to Bondi about the money.
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“She's a fine person. Never spoken to her about it. Never,” he said.
The Wednesday complaint asked to the IRS to revoke the charity’s nonprofit status and refer the case to the Department of Justice if it finds any wrongdoing from Trump himself.
Meanwhile, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Wednesday the Department of Homeland Security should investigate "disturbing allegations" against the Trump Model Management agency.
Rachel Blais, a Canadian-born model who signed with Trump Model Management in 2004, called it "the most crooked agency I've ever worked for.’
(Ian Willms/Getty Images)Her letter followed a bombshell Mother Jones report that said the modeling company forced illegal immigrants through grueling conditions. The magazine spoke with three former models, one of whom called the company "modern day slavery."
None of the three models was an American citizen. They accused the agency of forcing them into cramped quarters and coaching them on how to evade immigration officials.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to either announcement.
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