You bet I slam Trump's 'ethics', along with his moral imbecility, willful ignorance and bigoted behavior.
You've strung together a lot of allegations but, as between Trump and the Clintons, Trump is the one 'in the barrel'.
I realize that in the upside down fantasy world of benighted conspiracy theorists allegations carry more weight than do actual criminal proceedings.
In the real world of facts and evidence, however? Not so much.
The allegations about the Clinton Foundation are unsubstantiated and nothing like the following has been charged against it:
You've strung together a lot of allegations but, as between Trump and the Clintons, Trump is the one 'in the barrel'.
I realize that in the upside down fantasy world of benighted conspiracy theorists allegations carry more weight than do actual criminal proceedings.
In the real world of facts and evidence, however? Not so much.
The allegations about the Clinton Foundation are unsubstantiated and nothing like the following has been charged against it:
Quote:Admission of self-dealing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_J._Trump_Foundation
In filing its 2015 IRS Form 990 (filed in 2016 while under investigation by the New York State Attorney General's office), the foundation appears to admit that it had, in previous years, engaged in self-dealing and illegal transfers of funds to "disqualified persons". This admission contradicts its filings for previous years, where there is no admission of the same violations.[ 123]
New York State vs the Trump Foundation and Trump family
On June 14, 2018, the new New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood filed a civil lawsuit against the foundation, Trump himself, and Trump's three adult children, Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr. alleging that they had engaged in "extensive unlawful political conduct" and that Donald Trump had been using the foundation "as his personal checkbook," to, among other things, settle his personal legal debts and support his presidential campaign.[124][10]
The lawsuit sought $2.8 million in restitution and the dissolution of the Foundation.[125][126] The suit noted that Trump himself made all decisions about disbursement of foundation funds and that the board of directors hadn't met for 18 years.[127]. Underwood's office also referred suspected Federal campaign and tax law violations to the Federal Election Commission and to the IRS.[31]
Separately, in July 2018, the case was referred to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.[10] In August 2018, the department issued a subpoena to Michael Cohen, formerly Trump's personal attorney, in connection with the case.[128][129]
On August 30, 2018, Trump attorney Alan Futerfas filed a motion to dismiss Underwood's suit, claiming it was without merit and was a result of "pervasive bias" by former New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, who had supervised the investigation before resigning that May.
On October 4, 2018, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood filed a memorandum opposing the motion, instead strengthening the charges against the Trump Foundation and now alleging, among other claims, that the full $2.8 million of distributions resulting from the January 2016 Iowa fundraiser represented illegal campaign contributions that needed to be repaid.[49]
The memorandum also stated that the Foundation had engaged in "persistent illegality," adding "Donald J. Trump used his control over the Donald J. Trump Foundation for his benefit to advance his personal, business, and political interests in violation of federal and state law governing charities."[52]
On October 25, Judge Saliann Scarpulla heard arguments for and against the motion to dismissed, but declined to issue a ruling at the time, stating she would await a pending decision by judges from the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division (the separate Trump-related suit involving Summer Zervos) as to whether a sitting US president could be sued in state court at all.[130][131]
US Special Counsel Investigation
On April 9, 2018 the New York Times reported that the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, as part of his larger investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election, was investigating the 2015 donation to the Trump Foundation of $150,000 by Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk.[112]
The Times reported that Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, had solicited the donation from Pinchuk in return for Trump's appearance in a 20-minute video conference with Pinchuk and others in Kiev in September 2015, just a few months after Mr Trump officially began his campaign for US President.[112][132] The investigation was part of a broader investigation into foreign influence into the campaign. Federal election law prohibits non-US nationals from contributing to US political campaigns.[113]
Other complaints
Letter from the House Judiciary Committee to the US Attorney General
Also on September 13, 2016, all fifteen Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting that the Justice Department launch a criminal investigation of Trump in connection with his foundation's $25,000 grant to Pam Bondi's campaign. The letter specifically cited possible violations of two anti-bribery laws.[133]
Civil complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service
Also on September 13, 2016, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a left-leaning watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service citing evidence they argued would compel the agency to seek back taxes and penalties and revoke the foundation's tax-free status.[133][134]
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