Here's what really happened with the Eric Trump Foundation and the work he's "incredibly proud" of with regard to St. Jude.
Eric Trump touted his charity's efficiency to donors, claiming he could use the Trump golf course “100% free of charge” and that the other costs would be donated. Low overhead was supposed to ensure that virtually "every penny" went to charity
Per filings from Eric Trump Foundation, the course wasn’t free—the Trump Organization WAS paid for use of the course. Per Forbes, “Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.”
And guess who was responsible for mandating billing for the “free” course. According to Ian Gillule, who served as membership and marketing director at Trump National Westchester, DONALD TRUMP said, “I don't care if it's my son or not--everybody gets billed."
Worse, $500,000 that had been raised for St. Jude over a decade was re-donated to about 40 other charities-- ones with connections to Trump family members and interests, and some that even hosted future (paid) events at Trump golf courses.
And yes, that's fraud.
And yes, that's fraud.
New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman is currently investigating the Eric Trump Foundation for “misusing assets and interacting with each other in ways that cause assets to be used for non-charitable purposes."
While the pursuit was noble, the execution was not only misleading, but outright illegal. To be clear, you don't get credit for raising money for sick kids when you're funneling the rest into your family business.
Like the rest of the Trump dealings, this charity is a fraud.
Like the rest of the Trump dealings, this charity is a fraud.
