A TRUMP PROMISE ISN’T WORTH THE PAPER IT’S WRITTEN ON

…Vets protesting Trump’s bogus fundraiser

 

Trump’s promises just don’t pass muster

 

I think it’s becoming very clear why Donald Trump probably doesn’t want to release his tax returns.

 

I am suspecting that one or all of the following are what Trump’s tax returns would offer.  (Please note, as compared to the financial disclosures that Trump has released, tax returns must be legally correct.  A tax payer can go to jail for submitting incorrect tax returns.

 

I am suspecting that Trump’s taxes could or will show:

 

·       He pays little or no taxes.

·       He has not been as generous as he states in donating to veterans groups.

·       He is nowhere near as wealthy as he claims

·       He is not as generous with his non-veteran donations as he says (You will recall, he does not donate cash money to charities, he donates free green fees for his golf courses.)

 

Let take a look at all that Trump has said he has done for America’s military veterans.

 

It was almost four months ago that Trump stated that he had promised $1 million of his own money to veterans’ causes.  But he had done nothing of the kind. 

 

Trump was finally shamed this week into donating the $1 million dollars that he had previously said he had already donated to the vets.  This time Donald Trump promised the entire sum to a single veteran charity as he now is under intense media scrutiny.

 

The Washington Post and other media outlets has pressed Trump and his campaign for details about how much the special Trump Veteran’s Fundraiser had actually raised and some proof that Trump had given his portion.

 

But as usual, the GOP candidate continually refuses to provide details. This week a Post reporter using Twitter, (Trump’s preferred platform) to search publicly for any veterans groups that had received Trump’s money.  By early this week, as expected, The Post had found none.

 

Trump’s campaign operation is totally confused about, and out-of-the-loop on these veteran’s donations.

 

At first, Trump had said he had never actually promised that the fundraiser had raised $6 million. “I didn’t say six,” he said.

 

But, in video of the event, Trump told the crowd, “We just cracked $6 million! Right? $6 million.”  Trump was told that he did, indeed, say “$6 million.”

 

“Well, I don’t, I don’t have the notes. I don’t have the tape of it,” he said. “Play [the tape] for me. Because I’d like to hear it.” But also as usual, before the video could be cued up, Trump left the scene.

 

Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski had told the press regarding the $6 million,  “The money is fully spent, Mr. Trump’s money is fully spent.”  But as always in the Trump organization, the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.

 

One day later, Trump said that Lewandowski would not have been in a position to know that the money was spent. “I don’t know that Corey would even know when I gave it out,” Trump said.  (The reality is that the money had yet to be donated.)

 

What is even more disappointing is that the fund raiser never did raise the claimed $6 million, even with Trump’s phantom $1 million.  According to Lewandowski, some big donors had backed out of the fundraiser, and even with Trump’s money, the total is estimated to be at about $4.5 million.

 

However, in another internal mix-up in the Trump group, Trump has said that no major contributors had backed out. “For the most part, I think they all came through,” he said. “Some of them came through very late.”  Once again, no proof of any of this has been offered.

 

When he was asked for any proof of his statement,  Trump responded to The Post with, “Why should I give you records?”  When asked again about the money, Trump replied. “I don’t have to give you any records.”

 

However, hours later hours later, Trump responded on Twitter: “While under no obligation to do so, I have raised between 5 & 6 million dollars, including 1million dollars from me, for our VETERANS. Nice!”

 

Apparently Trump had finally realized how this was looking to the general public, and so he of course, panicked.

 

That same evening, Trump called to make his $1 million donation to James Kallstrom’s Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation.  Mr. Kallstrom’s wife, Sue Kallstrom wasn’t sure what time the call came, only that it happened after she had gone to bed.

 

“I guess he wants to take care of the vets,” she said.

 

Among its other efforts, the foundation provides educational grants to the children of the fallen. “The foundation is thrilled, because the money is going to help a lot of people, especially the children.”

 

Trump’s campaign has said the remainder of the Vet’s donations would be given out by this Memorial Day. Trump said he would ask his staff to send The Post a list of the groups that will receive that money, but so far, his staff has not provided any list.

 

Other veterans  groups have been struggling in trying to figure out how to ask for some of Trump’s remaining vet money. As expected, the unorganized Trump operation has provided no formal way to apply for the veteran funds.

 

Trump just continues to show he is not organized for seriously following through on his many promises, especially how he will achieve all his campaign promises for “Making America Great Again”.

 

Yes, in dealing with Trump, it's just more of his “Business as Usual”.

 

Copyright G.Ater  2016