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Cindy Yang really wanted the autographed picture with President Trump. But she needed to raise $50,000. She tapped high-dollar donations from a very unusual group: massage parlor workers. With @FrancesRobles @jotted nytimes.com/2019/03/16/us/… via @nytimes
@FrancesRobles @jotted @nytimes Just how unusual is it for day spa and massage therapists to max out their individual contributions to candidates? I won't tell you, I will show you....read on....or just read the story.
@FrancesRobles @jotted @nytimes Do a search on fec.gov for contributions in the 2017-18 election cycle for people who put "massage therapist" as their occupation. There are LOTS of entries, almost 65K! But how many gave the max candidate contribution ($5400)? Two. One of them is in this story.
@FrancesRobles @jotted @nytimes Or search for the word "facial" in the occupation box. I just did it. You get 231 results from the 2017-2018 election cycle. How many gave the max $5400? One. And she works at Cindy Yang's spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Next runner up, a facial plastic surgeon who gave $2700
@FrancesRobles @jotted @nytimes Maxing out political contributions (not tax deductible), is normally the purview of millionaires. Sometimes by the end of the cycle, if they are die-hard supporters, ordinary people do max out. But a 25-year old woman w/ no college who does facials writing a $5400 check? Unusual.
Reimbursing people for political donations is illegal. People get prosecuted for it. Only one of the spa worker $5400 donors would talk to us. When asked directly by @FrancesRobles if Cindy Yang reimbursed her, this was her answer: "I do not want to answer that question." END
@FrancesRobles OK. Not the end. Here's a screenshot of the invitation for the March 3, 2018 fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. It was to benefit the Trump campaign, so even though it was through the Trump Victory Cmte (joint w/ RNC so can take bigger donations), the contributions were capped at $5400 
