Veterans say Trump fundraiser uses them as ‘political props’

a reply to: Byrd

I just posted this in another thread. It appears to me that Old Donny may have been using his foundation as a lobbying piggy bank in the past.

For example:

1. The WWE gave trumps foundation 4 million dollars. That would have been tax deductible for the WWE.

2. Old Donny turns around and takes 100K from his foundation and sends it over to Clinton Foundation during her last run. Since its from non profit to non profit no taxes are taken on either side.

3. The Clintons do a little shuffling within their foundation , the money disappears , and Voila Hillary owes Donny some favors.


I got a feeling this is standard practice in DC.

Take the money, say thank you mister Trump, then go out and vote for Bernie en-masse..

originally posted by: Spider879
Take the money, say thank you mister Trump, then go out and vote for Bernie en-masse..

Not even Bernie thinks Bernie will win.

a reply to: Xeven

Yes he does...
Trump hands the election to the DNC, and Hiliary is fighting to stay out of jail at this point.

How Trump loves Vets, just not in his hood.
Trump Didn’t Want Disabled Vets Near Trump Tower, Petitioned to Have Them Removed
www.mediaite.com...

originally posted by: interupt42
a reply to: Byrd

I just posted this in another thread. It appears to me that Old Donny may have been using his foundation as a lobbying piggy bank in the past.

For example:

1. The WWE gave trumps foundation 4 million dollars. That would have been tax deductible for the WWE.

2. Old Donny turns around and takes 100K from his foundation and sends it over to Clinton Foundation during her last run. Since its from non profit to non profit no taxes are taken on either side.

3. The Clintons do a little shuffling within their foundation , the money disappears , and Voila Hillary owes Donny some favors.


I got a feeling this is standard practice in DC.

regardless of what you think of Trump, or what you think of how much he has given to vets, if you payed any attention at all, he explained early on, how this system works. Remember when he said he didn't want any outside donations to his campaign. He said he didn't want to owe anybody. Then went on to explain that he has given money in the past to politicians to get favorable treatment. This is how the system works. We've all know it for years.

If the disabled Veterans get 7 million it's good for them. I just hope it doesn't go to a charity to take 70% for overhead before it gets to them.

a reply to: network dude

Like I said , I think that is the standard on how the system works and that his foundation appears to have been setup prior to this weeks veteran fund raiser as a lobbying piggy bank.
Even posted this yesterday


www.abovetopsecret.com...

He is not shy about saying he has paid off politicians including Hillary and one of his foundations transfer was to the Clinton foundation. This could have been his method of paying them politicians.

I also said in some of my other posts that having him funnel the money to a foundation because the domain was registered just the other day , wouldn't be that unusual.

How in the world some people could flip around him giving 7 million to veterans into a bad thing is astounding to me. I don't care at all he wasn't at the debate. As far as I'm concerned on the Republican side the debate is over.

originally posted by: Bennyzilla
How in the world some people could flip around him giving 7 million to veterans into a bad thing is astounding to me. I don't care at all he wasn't at the debate. As far as I'm concerned on the Republican side the debate is over.

Sorry, I must be missing something. From what I could understand from this thread, people are donating money to the Trump foundation and the question is around whether 100% of those donations go to where those donating money are led to believe it will go. Are you saying that Trump is giving 7 million out of his own pocket? That is what you are implying.

originally posted by: Bennyzilla
How in the world some people could flip around him giving 7 million to veterans into a bad thing is astounding to me. I don't care at all he wasn't at the debate. As far as I'm concerned on the Republican side the debate is over.

The question is that after all the noise he made about supporting veterans (and his past actions in kicking them off his properties and donating only a fraction of his charitable donations to veterans) is he actually going to GIVE a legit veterans group anything?

At this point, with all eyes on him, he probably will. But a one-time donation really isn't "support" and he seems relatively unaware of the issues veterans are facing.

As veterans themselves have said, it seems to be just a PR move and they will be forgotten next week.

originally posted by: Byrd

BY DAVID GOLDSTEIN



WASHINGTON
Several leading veterans activists and supporters denounced Donald Trump’s hastily arranged fundraiser for veterans in Iowa on Thursday night as a “political ploy.”

“The politicization of veterans’ issues is at an all-time high,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said in an interview. “We hope all the candidates can focus on veterans policy and veterans issues and not just use veterans as a political prop.”

...
" VoteVets.org, a pro-veterans group with a liberal agenda, said in a statement: “Don’t hide from Megyn Kelly behind us.”
Read more here: www.bellinghamherald.com...=cpy

As more news stories and reactions emerge, it appears that the Trump "support for veterans" rally that he is holding has not met with cheers and support from the veterans themselves. The fundraiser, set for Des Moines University is very vague in detail - no indication of any veterans or groups having been invited and another ATS thread mentions that the "donate to veterans" link on Trump's site leads only to a donation link for Trump's campaign fund.

At least three veterans groups have announced on Twitter that they won't accept any money if he tries to hand it to them:
dailycaller.com...


(redstate blog post along the same lines: www.redstate.com... )

Don't donate any of the money raised to VoteVets.

All the problems our vets are facing, the political circus is focusing attention on those long ignored problems.
I'm sure there are just as many vet organizations that would be grateful for the help that money will provide for our nation's heros.

...but if you want to cut off your nose to spite your face....

a reply to: Byrd

I'll take a one time donation of 7 million and you can call it "Support" "assistance" whatever you want. The issues veterans are facing are mostly bureaucratic and medical. Money can help solve both of those issues so I really don't see how anyone could think this won't help veterans in some way.


@Uncommited - It was my understanding all the money donated was going to veterans, I didn't mean to imply it would be all his money from his pocket, but thats not what a fundraiser is so I didn't think I had to.

If the issue is just a question of will he give the money to the people he said he would give it to then I think it's a no brainer. It would be career suicide to televise a fundraiser and then pocket the cash. Faaaar to stupid a move for Trump.

originally posted by: Bennyzilla
a reply to: Byrd

I'll take a one time donation of 7 million and you can call it "Support" "assistance" whatever you want. The issues veterans are facing are mostly bureaucratic and medical. Money can help solve both of those issues so I really don't see how anyone could think this won't help veterans in some way.


@Uncommited - It was my understanding all the money donated was going to veterans, I didn't mean to imply it would be all his money from his pocket, but thats not what a fundraiser is so I didn't think I had to.

If the issue is just a question of will he give the money to the people he said he would give it to then I think it's a no brainer. It would be career suicide to televise a fundraiser and then pocket the cash. Faaaar to stupid a move for Trump.

It needed to be clearer as you stated Trump was giving the money which implied it was his own money to give.

So just to be clear, you agree Trump isn't actually giving any money to veterans, but a foundation in his name may or may not do so, based on contributions from individuals? Why does that mean - based on the post I responded to you on - the debate for the Republican vote is "now over"? If all the money, and I mean every last cent, then that's great, perhaps he should take up fundraising for a living, but how does that qualify him to be a potential president?

a reply to: uncommitted

LOL I don't even know what you're trying to get at here. The fundraiser only received money because Trump held it and was there. Without him there would be no fundraiser and the veterans would be exactly where they were before, getting nothing.

There was nothing, now there is something. That is a direct result of Trump. It's like your trying to make some weird distinction between Trump as a person and his foundation, but the foundation that you want to give the credit to for raising money doesn't exist without Trump...

Are you implying the Clinton Foundation, or any charitable works Bernie does don't count as Charity because absolutely everything wasn't donated or done by the candidate themselves? Because that's asinine.

How does it qualify him to be president? Well it shows people are interested in him, and that he has the ability to fill a venue and raise money just for being there. It shows he's charitable and has an interest in veterans rights.

I think you're mistaken on what it takes to be qualified for President because I'm pretty sure it's just being born in America. Thats why there's a little spot to write in whomever you want.

originally posted by: Bennyzilla
a reply to: uncommitted

LOL I don't even know what you're trying to get at here. The fundraiser only received money because Trump held it and was there. Without him there would be no fundraiser and the veterans would be exactly where they were before, getting nothing.

There was nothing, now there is something. That is a direct result of Trump. It's like your trying to make some weird distinction between Trump as a person and his foundation, but the foundation that you want to give the credit to for raising money doesn't exist without Trump...

Are you implying the Clinton Foundation, or any charitable works Bernie does don't count as Charity because absolutely everything wasn't donated or done by the candidate themselves? Because that's asinine.

How does it qualify him to be president? Well it shows people are interested in him, and that he has the ability to fill a venue and raise money just for being there. It shows he's charitable and has an interest in veterans rights.

I think you're mistaken on what it takes to be qualified for President because I'm pretty sure it's just being born in America. Thats why there's a little spot to write in whomever you want.

No worries, you seemed to be suggesting that because a foundation (see posts in this thread by Byrd) that has been around for some years that doesn't appear to give all money to vets even though apparently it's stated that it does is by some means a reason why the nomination for the republican vote should be his. I questioned that as I would personally have thought that strong domestic, economic and foreign policies were kind of more important to be a credible potential president than acting like a child because a television network won't kiss your ass.

Maybe I'm just raising the bar too high as to the kind of person I would have thought Americans would like to lead them.

originally posted by: NoCorruptionAllowed
Wow, vets with stipulations regarding what their own begging can achieve for themselves. Like handing a bum with a sign that reads "need money, family starving, no money accepted from Trump supporters however"

Any veteran who talks garbage like this about the generosity of others should just enjoy themselves being already thrown under the bus by those they actually support, and any disabilities they currently have. Just because they are vets, they themselves are obviously using the same thing they are accusing Trump of doing. They make sure people know they are veterans, and then use that status to defame Trump's generosity towards veterans. That right there is not the actions of an honorable American, but the actions of someone already void of dignity or honor.
At least we now know, there is a class of veterans who have no class.

Unbelievable.

"I" support the guy that has been supporting us, not the one who uses the "vets" as a political tool. That's exactly what Trump, Cruz, and Fiorina are doing plain and simple. Awesome, yea donate some money to the vets. "I" have a few friends that could use it. Just don't expect me to think they're doing it because they care about vets, because they obviously don't. Obviously you have something against vets, which is cool I've met many people that don't like people in the military, but don't put words in our mouths.

a reply to: Byrd

So what? You think politicians like to spend their free time kissing babies too? Of course it's a publicity move. Any time the president, a presidential candidate, or any politician for that matter, does something in front of TV cameras it's for publicity. The bottom line is that he (supposedly) raised 6 million dollars. Id' say that makes his event more useful than participating in a debate where candidates make promises they have no authority to follow through on.

LOL

When the story says "" VoteVets.org, a pro-veterans group with a liberal agenda"

So a liberal agenda group is using Vets for their own purpose, and attacking Trump.

How many of the vets in their group that need help, want their "leaders" to turn down money..SMH

How many of you gave money to the als charities before the ice bucket pr stunt? How many have given to als charities afterwards? Hypocrites are everywhere... I believe it was ted cruz's campaign people that offered $1.5mil to vets for a one on one debate with trump, that blatantly sounds a lot more politically motivated in my opinion. So where is the outrage over that comment? Hypocrites...

a reply to: Byrd

So he does not care for Trump, that is his right.

He doesn't have the right to refuse help for other veterans.