How Donald Trump Skimmed Money Meant For Sick Kids | All In

>>> PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SON ERIC IS ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THE
TRUMP ORGANIZATION. THE FAMILY BUSINESS.
AND HE ALSO HAS RUN A YEARLY CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT THROUGH
THE NON-PROFIT ERIC TRUMP FOUNDATION.
AND THAT GOLF TOURNAMENT IS AT THE TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF CLUB IN
WEST CHESTER COUNTY NEW YORK AND IT'S TO BENEFIT CHILDREN'S
CANCER RESEARCH. NOW THE TOURNAMENT HAS LAUDIBLY
RAISED MILLIONS FOR THE CAUSE THANKS TO ERIC TRUMP'S CLAIM
THAT NEARLY ALL THE MONEY CONTRIBUTED GOES DIRECTLY TO ST.
JUDE'S CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL AND THAT IS POSSIBLE,
HE LONG MAINTAINED BECAUSE THERE'S VIRTUALLY NO OVERHEAD.
ENTERTAINMENT AND DRINKS WERE DONATED, AS WAS CRUCIALLY THE
USE OF THE GOLF CLUB ITSELF WHICH HAPPENS TO BE OWNED BY
ERIC'S FATHER, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
AT LEAST THAT WAS ERIC TRUMP'S STORY.
BUT AS "FORBES" REPORTS, IT ISN'T TRUE.
NOW I SHOULD NOTE HERE THAT FOR THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF THE
TOURNAMENT, THINGS LOOKED GOOD FROM 2007 TO 2010.
ANNUAL COSTS WERE ONLY ABOUT $50,000 PER YEAR.
IN 2011, COSTS SHOT UP TO $142,000.
AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 2012, THEY KEPT GROWING.
BY 2015, COSTS FOR THE TOURNAMENT WERE ALL THE WAY UP
TO $322,000. SO WHAT HAPPENED?
WELL, THE FORMER MEMBERSHIP AND MARKETING DIRECTOR AT THE TRUMP
GOLF CLUB TOLD "FORBES" THAT WHEN DONALD TRUMP FOUND OUT
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT'S FINANCES, HE FLIPPED.
HE WAS LIKE, WE'RE DONATING ALL OF THIS STUFF?
THERE'S NO PAPER TRAIL? NO CREDIT?
AND HE WENT NUTS. HE GOT BILLED.
VIA THE CHARITY TURN TO ARGETS THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, THE
FAMILY FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS, RECEIVED MORE THAN $1.2 MILLION
THAT HAS NO DOCUMENTED RECIPIENTS PAST THE TRUMP ORG.
ADDITIONALLY, THE DONALD J. TRUMP FOUNDATION USED THE ERIC
TRUMP FOUNDATION TO FUNNEL $100,000 IN DONATIONS INTO
REVENUE FOR THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION.
AND WHILE DONORS TO THE ERIC TRUMP FOUNDATION WERE TOLD THEIR
MONEY WAS GOING TO HELP SICK KIDS, MORE THAN $500,000 WAS
REDONATED TO OTHER CHARITIES, MANY OF WHICH WERE CONNECTED TO
TRUMP FAMILY MEMBERS OR INTERESTS.
JOINING ME NOW, OLIVIA, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR
"NEW YORK MAGAZINE" AND DAILY BEAST COLUMNIST DAVID K.
JOHNSON. LET ME START WITH YOU, AS AN
EXPERT ON TAX LAW. I IMAGINE THERE'S POSSIBLY AN
EXPLANATION FOR THIS THAT COULD BE PROVIDED BY THE FOUNDATION,
BUT ON ITS FACE, THIS LOOKS TO VIOLATE THE LAW?
>> YES. THIS IS WHAT'S KNOWN AS
SELF-DEALING. GOOD AS IT IS THAT THE ERIC
TRUMP FOUNDATION PROVIDED THIS MONEY TO ST. JUDE, THEY WOULD
HAVE GOTTEN ABOUT 15% MORE, BUT FOR THE MONEY THAT WENT TO THE
TRUMP ORGANIZATION AND WE DON'T KNOW IF IT WENT BEYOND THERE.
AND IT WENT TO OTHER CHARITIES THAT SEEM TO HAVE BUSINESS TIES
AND HELP DEVELOP BUSINESS FOR THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION.
AND I'M FLOORED THAT ONE YEAR THE COSTS WERE OVER $300,000.
I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED AS A TRUSTEE OF A CHARITY, AND BOARD
MEMBER OF A CHARITY WITH A NUMBER OF ENTITIES WHERE I'VE
HAD TO OVERSEE OR EXAMINE THE FINANCES, AND I JUST CAN'T
UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN SPEND $300,000 ON THE COSTS OF A GOLF
TOURNAMENT. >> AND TO BE CLEAR, THAT'S MONEY
THAT'S BEING PAID TO THE GOLF CLUB, WHICH IS THE TRUMP ORG --
>> RIGHT. >> AND ALSO, ONE MORE THING,
DAVID. I WANT TO CONTINUE ON THIS
BECAUSE THE "FORBES" REPORTING SUGGESTS WHEN THERE'S A CHANGE
IN THE BOARD, ORIGINALLY IT'S ERIC TRUMP AND HIS FRIENDS AND
THE COSTS ARE LOW. THEN IT BECOMES TRUMP
ORGANIZATION MEMBERS ON THE NON-PROFIT FOUNDATION BOARD WHO
APPEAR TO BE KIND OF REPRESENTING BOTH INTERESTS
SIMULTANEOUSLY. >> RIGHT.
THE BOARD MEMBERS HAD A MAJORITY OF THE BOARD HAD CLEAR CONFLICTS
OF INTEREST IN WHAT WAS GOING ON WHICH "FORBES" LAYS OUT QUITE
WELL HERE. THERE'S A REASON WE HAVE WHAT
ARE CALLED PUBLIC CHARITIES. THE IDEA OF A PUBLIC CHARITY IS
THAT NO INDIVIDUAL OR FAMILY IS IN CONTROL, AND, THEREFORE, WE
EASE UP ON THE RESTRICTIONS ON THEM.
WHEN YOU CLEARLY HAVE SOMEONE IN CONTROL YOU HAVE A PRIVATE
FOUNDATION WITH TOUGHER RULES BECAUSE WE KNOW PEOPLE AND THE
TRUMPS IN PARTICULAR, TEND TO PUT THEIR HAND IN THE CHARITY
COOKIE JAR. >> SO THAT'S ONE PLACE WHERE YOU
SEE MONEY FLOWING IN. AND THIS IS BEFORE HE BECAME
PRESIDENT. OLIVIA, THIS IS THE SAUDIS SPENT
$270,000 AT THE TRUMP HOTEL IN A LOBBYING AGAINST THE 9/11 BILL
WHICH IS ABOUT WHETHER THEY'D HAVE FINANCIAL EXPOSURE THROUGH
CIVIL LITIGATION. YOU'VE BEEN REPORTING A LOT FROM
THAT HOTEL WHICH HAS BECOME ESSENTIALLY THIS KIND OF LIKE
FAVOR TRADING MECCA IN TRUMP'S D.C.
>> I WAS THERE, I THINK THE NIGHT THAT DONALD TRUMP FIRED
JAMES COMEY. AND RUDY GIULIANI WAS THERE.
HE SMELLED LIKE A CIGAR, AND HE WAS THERE VERY LATE AT NIGHT
WHEN THE BAR WAS CLOSING. AND HE WAS JUST HANGING OUT.
I'VE SEEN LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT OR
ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRESIDENT HANGING OUT THERE.
IT IS A PLACE CLEARLY WHERE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO TRADE
FAVORS AND TRYING TO EXERT INFLUENCE OVER THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION. AND ANY CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY
SEEM COMPLETELY ABSURD. I'D ALSO POINT TO THE EARLIER
STORY ABOUT ERIC TRUMP'S FOUNDATION.
THERE'S A GREAT IRONY IN DONALD TRUMP SAYING THAT PEOPLE NEED TO
GET PAID WHEN HE IS SOMEONE WHO IS KNOWN HISTORICALLY FOR
STIFFING CONTRACTORS WHO HAVE WORKED ON PROJECTS FOR HIM.
>> AND THE IDEA THAT HE BASICALLY -- THE SORT OF BETWEEN
THE LINES IMAGE YOU GET FROM THAT "FORBES" PIECE SAY RECK
RECKNITION LIKE, WE CAN EXTRACT
SOME MONEY OUT OF THIS. YOU ALSO HAVE THE BROTHERS
RUNNING THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION WHO ARE WALLED OFF IN SOME
COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WAY FROM THE ACTUAL PRESIDENT.
DOING A LOT OF PUBLICITY. AND NOW FLOATING A BUDGET
FRIENDLY AMERICA IDEA HOTEL CHAIN WHICH AGAIN SEEMS LIKE
FRANKLY PROFITING OFF THEIR FATHER BEING PRESIDENT.
>> IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE IS SOMETHING NOT RIGHT ABOUT IT.
EVEN IF IT WOULD BE TECHNICALLY LEGAL, AND I CAN'T SPEAK TO
THAT. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE'S
SOMETHING NOT RIGHT ABOUT IT. YOU HAVE TO ASK, IS THE TRUMP
FAMILY -- ARE THEY TRYING TO MAKE AMERICA BETTER, ARE THEY
WORKING FOR THE COUNTRY OR FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR THEIR OWN
BRAND? I THINK INCREASINGLY, IT LOOKS
LIKE THE LATTER. >> I SHOULD NOTE THE PLAN HERE
ESSENTIALLY, TRUMP BRANDED
HOTELS IN THE AREAS THE PRESIDENT DID WELL ON.
MANIFESTLY A CONFLICT, WE CONTINUE TO BE IN THE TERRAIN
THE PRESIDENT ASSERTS. THE PRESIDENT CANNOT HAVE A
CONFLICT OF INTEREST. >> TRUMP INC. AND THE WHITE
HOUSE SEEM TO BE THE SAME THING. I'M NOT THE LEAST BIT SURPRISED
THE TRUMPS DON'T SEE ANY BRIGHT LINES OR ANY LINES AT ALL
BETWEEN THEIR FINANCIAL INTERESTS AND DUTY TO COUNTRY.
IT'S SIMPLY NOT HOW THE TRUMPS THINK.
FIDUCIARY DUTY, A DUTY OF LOYALTY SAY ONE-WAY STREET IN
THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION. YOU HAVE TO GIVE ABSOLUTE
LOYALTY TO TRUMP. HE OWES NO LOYALTY TO ANYONE
ELSE AND THE EVIDENCE IS SHOWING INCREASINGLY, NOT EVEN TO HIS

How Donald Trump Skimmed Money Meant For Sick Kids | All In | MSNBC

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