Donald Trump Campaign Appears to Be Paying a Fictional Ad Agency

[Hawkeye10]

You're right Maggie, this story is ambiguous and unless one has owned or worked closely in a consultancy or home business providing a service, they might not appreciate the fluidity and conceptual nature of small business that does not produce a manufactured product.

But the possible can of worms here is: Now Trump's actions (through his campaign apparatus) must provide fiduciary responsibility to those donating to his campaign, so he can't play fast and loose as in his private enterprise.

We'll have to see here as the details come out.

Wait what?!!

We are not going to pre judge before the facts come in? Are you seriously suggesting that we decide based upon not our ideological fantasies like most everyone else but rather on the NATURE OF REALITY??!!

So WEIRD!

So COOL!

+1!

 

[beefheart]

The business was registered. Therefore it existed. Who proved it didn't exist? How does the source know no services were rendered? Tell me exactly what "the scam" is. Seriously. I don't understand.

Did you read? Its registered to a house in NH, the person living there is an elderly lady who is related to one of the people who formed this sham corporation. And, the people behind this took their legit businesses web pages off line today, and refused to be interviewed.

Read all the articles....there is something afoot.

 

[beefheart]

What makes "dark money" easier to hide with Citizens United?

I guess you have proven me to be old, I have no idea what RTFA stands for.

It means, Read the F'ing Article

 

[washunut]

It's RTFM for Ebay!

Thanks, but I still have no clue what RTFM stands for. I would appreciate it if you provide the words.

 

[washunut]

It means, Read the F'ing Article

I did. Still can't understand how you tie this to Citizens United. Seems like there is an allegation of fraud by someone in the campaign.

 

[beefheart]

I did. Still can't understand how you tie this to Citizens United. Seems like there is an allegation of fraud by someone in the campaign.

You have the internet. Do your own damned research into dark money.

I'm not your teacher

 

[Chomsky]

Thanks, but I still have no clue what RTFM stands for. I would appreciate it if you provide the words.

Read The F*ine* Manual.

Although usually "Fine" is usually replaced with a more euphemistic "F" word!

 

[Hawkeye10]

Read The F*ine* Manual.

Although usually "Fine" is usually replaced with a more euphemistic "F" word!

What a ****ing shrinking violet you are! *sarcasm*

Love it.

 

[Chomsky]

Did you read? Its registered to a house in NH, the person living there is an elderly lady who is related to one of the people who formed this sham corporation. And, the people behind this took their legit businesses web pages off line today, and refused to be interviewed.

Read all the articles....there is something afoot.

There's no doubt that on the surface there's a lot of possibilities here.

But that's still not to say one can't run a legit consultancy out of one's home, nor have your mother-in-law watch the house or your kids when you're in your Boston apartment.

Here's the pertinent section you're referencing above:

"Slate’s Ruth Graham drove to the address listed as Draper Sterling’s place of business and were greeted by Jon Adkins’ mother-in-law, who told them, “I don’t know what he does. All I do is I watch his kids” before eventually conceding that “he’s in the medical field” and “does a lot of business out of Boston. Whatever he does, I don’t know.”"

Given the contacts, I can run Chomsky Consulting out of my home spare-bedroom office with nothing more than internet & phone, and if I can get you a sit-down with Obama for $25K, are you going to say it's not legit? If registered, documented, declared, and taxed - it is legit. And if you're willing to pay for that service and access, it's probably well worth it to you as well. This is exactly how a lot of political business is done in my city, often through high-powered connected law firms, and it's widely known.

So these could be legit services, or at the least portrayed as such to meet the letter of the law.

Or as you suspect, they could be some shady dealings.

I personally suspect they're the result of the Trump campaign playing fast and loose as if they're still doing transactions in private business, and it may come back to haunt them. It may even be Lewandowski running a scam (or getting set-up to take a fall).

But there's a lot of graft that takes place under the guise of consulting and lawyer's fees, and unfortunately while dealing in gray areas it often meets the technical definition of being legal (or difficult to prove it's illegal).

 

[Crovax]

I am not here to argue with you about the appropriateness of a metaphor............

"Citizens United" isnt a metaphor though its a SCTOUS case which set a 1st amendment precedent that has nothing to do with official campaigns and how they receive or spend money.

 

[tres borrachos]

Yeah, I posted a few stories about this. Its pure scam by Trump. This is gonna be fun to watch unravel....:hitsfan

Everything We Know About the Shady "Draper Sterling" Getting Paid by the Trump Campaign

WTF?? Can that be any more shadowy? That's an address for a ****ing house in a nice upper middle class neighborhood not far from where I live.

$208,000 on hats

Those moronic "Make America Great Again" baseball caps?

 

[MaggieD]

Did you read? Its registered to a house in NH, the person living there is an elderly lady who is related to one of the people who formed this sham corporation. And, the people behind this took their legit businesses web pages off line today, and refused to be interviewed.

Read all the articles....there is something afoot.

Im assuming you've told me the most damning details here. To look at a $35,000 expenditure and think that DT risked EVERYTHING for that amount of money is ludicrous. Just how desperate ARE you people???

Having relatives as officers of one's small corporation is very common. Having someone's old maiden aunt as Corporate Secretary isn't unusual. It's probably common. Having to have a physical address and using someone's home as the corporation's location of record is common.

Thinking DT is behind some nefarious $35,000 scheme is ridiculous. The guy he fired? Possibly. A sham corporation to bleed money from the campaign chest? Possible. But to think this is some kind of $35,000 gotcha moment for DT? Ludicrous.

Folks, the last few presidential campaigns have been run by back room brawlers who feed the media the most salacious details they can dig up. We are being disenfranchised by these people . . . Meaning they are interfering with our right to vote for the candidates of our choice. Meaning they are slandering candidates in the name of freedom of speech and detracting from the REAL issues. "They" did it to Romney. They're doing it to the new Republican front runner. "We" did it to Obama. We're doing it to Clinton.

We'd best wake up.

Is it possible there's something afoot? Maybe. But no one has presented anything in THIS thread that either indicates anything dishonest is going on OR that DT is involved.

 

[haymarket]

I think you should explain why this is done kind of gotcha moment.

A report last night on the radio as I drove home said that one out of every six dollars Trump spent in his campaign recently went to family members or back to Trump himself. I think that is what this is about.

And thats just a guess in the dark. But this kind of confirms that suspicion from AP radio

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is one of the wealthiest people to ever run for president, but his campaign appears to be flat broke. What's more, fundraising reports show he's used about $6 million in campaign money to pay his own companies and family members.

The billionaire businessman's financial woes were enough to inspire the mocking Twitter hashtag "TrumpSoPoor" on Tuesday and, far more seriously, give already reluctant donors a fresh batch of reasons to withhold their money.

Trump's campaign expenses are hardly inspiring confidence among people whose money he's pursuing. The spending includes a $423,000 May payment to Mar-a-Lago, the private club in Florida that serves as his vacation home, and enough Trump-branded bottled water to fill a bathtub.

Democratic rival Hillary Clinton ribbed Trump on Tuesday, tweeting to followers: "What is Trump spending his meager campaign resources on? Why, himself, of course."

That story is dated June 21.

 

[MaggieD]

A report last night on the radio as I drove home said that one out of every six dollars Trump spent in his campaign recently went to family members or back to Trump himself. I think that is what this is about.

And thats just a guess in the dark. But this kind of confirms that suspicion from AP radio



That story is dated June 21.

Thanks for the information, but I'm still not convinced this is anything other than a smear campaign. Again.

So 16% of his campaign funds went to his business ventures. That is hardly unusual. His businesses must be legion. Why would any sane person avoid enriching their own holdings assuming the could provide the same services as anyone else? And his family? My God. What's wrong with hiring family? Businessmen hire family, friends, colleagues.

Maybe those skeptics don't understand big business. A reporter working for a paycheck, paid holidays and vacations can hardly expect to understand our capitalistic system. They're just looking for their next big byline.

 

[haymarket]

Im assuming you've told me the most damning details here. To look at a $35,000 expenditure and think that DT risked EVERYTHING for that amount of money is ludicrous. Just how desperate ARE you people???

Having relatives as officers of one's small corporation is very common. Having someone's old maiden aunt as Corporate Secretary isn't unusual. It's probably common. Having to have a physical address and using someone's home as the corporation's location of record is common.

Thinking DT is behind some nefarious $35,000 scheme is ridiculous. The guy he fired? Possibly. A sham corporation to bleed money from the campaign chest? Possible. But to think this is some kind of $35,000 gotcha moment for DT? Ludicrous.

Folks, the last few presidential campaigns have been run by back room brawlers who feed the media the most salacious details they can dig up. We are being disenfranchised by these people . . . Meaning they are interfering with our right to vote for the candidates of our choice. Meaning they are slandering candidates in the name of freedom of speech and detracting from the REAL issues. "They" did it to Romney. They're doing it to the new Republican front runner. "We" did it to Obama. We're doing it to Clinton.

We'd best wake up.

Is it possible there's something afoot? Maybe. But no one has presented anything in THIS thread that either indicates anything dishonest is going on OR that DT is involved.

You raise a valid point. However, I know of no other such candidate in history with this sort of record. I realize Sanders had his wife on the payroll as a key advisor - but what Trump is doing goes far far beyond that.

 

[Patrickt]

Dishonest Donald has been accused by a number of people of posing as a PR person to spread the good news about The Donald and he has denied that. He has admitted using aliases in business negotiations. Donald Trump is not an honest man. No one should believe he will do a single thing he has said he will do.

 

[imyoda]

"Citizens United" isnt a metaphor though its a SCTOUS case which set a 1st amendment precedent that has nothing to do with official campaigns and how they receive or spend money.

Thank you for your:twocents:

 

[Hawkeye10]

Call me sceptical. When so many organs of the media are seen to be insinuating fraud because much more than normal campaign money is going to Trump companies because he puts his offices in buildings that he owns and he uses his own aircraft I have no choice but to assume bias. Trump is doing what any not stupid person would do. Trump has a whole floor that had been used as The Apprentice studio, it is right there, why wouldn't he use that??

 

[imyoda]

In the same like scam Trump is including his in-kind service he provides as contributions...........like $600,000 dollars for the use of Trump Towers...........and then pays himself for those services........

And folks who know Trump's business practices refuse to contribute to his campaign so their money can fill the pockets of Trump and his family who are also beneficiaries of the scam too

 

[imyoda]

call me sceptical. When so many organs of the media are seen to be insinuating fraud because much more than normal campaign money is going to trump companies because he puts his offices in buildings that he owns and he uses his own aircraft i have no choice but to assume bias. Trump is doing what any not stupid person would do. Trump has a whole floor that had been used as the apprentice studio, it is right there, why wouldn't he use that??

as a trump supported how much money have you donated to the trump for president campaign?