Donald Trump has constantly been in the press recently for his various campaign related remarks and actions, but now it looks as though he may be withholding donation money from veterans.
Last month, he skipped a debate in order to host a fundraiser for veterans, claiming to raise $6 million in one hour. The donations were meant to be spread out to over 20 different organizations, but now, over a month later, the information that Trump’s campaign has released about the donations account for only $3 million.
Reporters at the Washington Post decided to further investigate, contacting each organization that Trump had listed as recipients. This investigation accounted for even less than Trump’s campaign had claimed, finding less than half of the $6 million.
In response to this investigation, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, Hope Hicks, related via e-mail that Trump would donate the rest of the money, but did not specify any sort of time frame. She also condemned the media for how they were handling the issue, saying they should be “highlighting the work of these groups and how our veterans have been so mistreated, rather than trying to disparage Mr. Trump’s generosity.”
Kieth David of Task Force Dagger Foundation, one of the organizations to receive a donation, spoke out, questioning where the rest of the money was going. In response to this, the Trump campaign has removed the charity from their list.
While unlikely that Trump is stealing the donations for personal financial gain, the funds are currently residing within his own charity, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, whose donations can be used to boost his political campaign.