A group of nonprofits raised $89M to help cops, veterans & firefighters.

What happened to the $?

They obscured the answer by breaking it into 135,000 pieces: a blizzard of tiny transactions, routed thru addresses in 10 states.

We found it, anyway.

nytimes.com/interactive/20… LISTEN: We got recordings of the robo-calls these groups used to raise money. They use computers that sound just like middle-aged cops -- complete with corny mother-in-law jokes.

Do any of these voices sound familiar?

nytimes.com/interactive/20…

My latest story on the nonprofit beat was about a screamingly obvious scam that still fooled the IRS 76 times.

I wanted to explain how I found that story -- with a lot of help from you. 1/

nytimes.com/2022/07/03/us/… The original tip about this story came on my first day at the @nytimes, when I asked you all for story ideas about nonprofits.

You sent 700 of them. 2/

I’m a reporter at the @nytimes covering nonprofits. I didn’t choose this beat b/c I think all nonprofits are hiding something!

I chose it b/c nonprofits are strongly trusted but weakly policed.

So they might be a good place *to* hide something, if you wanted....1/ My first story was about people allegedly hiding fraud.

In MN, the FBI alleged that a group of nonprofits exploited lax oversight to claim millions of government dollars they didn't deserve... 2/
nytimes.com/2022/03/08/us/…

I’m an investigative reporter for the @nytimes, writing about nonprofits.

This is my first story, and it sums up so much of what drew me to the nonprofit beat. 1/

https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold/status/1501237253737172999

First, it shows the huge amount of money that flows through the nonprofit sector — one small nonprofit in Minnesota handled $197 million in just 1 year! Even tho it’s own nonprofit status was listed as revoked and its board president said he was tricked into taking the job. 2/

WHAT HAPPENED TO $246 MILLION?

The FBI says it’s found a “massive fraud” centered on a nonprofit in MN. The group had received $246M in federal aid to feed hungry kids.

I’m an investigative reporter covering nonprofits. Here’s what I want to know — and how you can help… I found this story by reading the great @StarTribune coverage of the FBI’s raids last month.

I want to know how anyone could lose track of *that* much money — even during a pandemic, when money was flowing fast and oversight became more difficult.

startribune.com/fbi-investigat…

UPDATED: Trump’s DC hotel — a symbol of the blurred lines between his govt and his biz — lost $71 million while he was in office, new docs show. washingtonpost.com/business/2021/… Does this mean concerns about Trump mixing business and govt were/are overblown? I’d say no — a POTUS who’s losing money could be more open to conflicts of interest than one who’s raking it in.

NEW: NY Judge orders Trump Org to provide more documents to the state Attorney General's investigators. If they don't, the judge says he'll send in an outside company to search Trump Org's files for them.

washingtonpost.com/politics/trump… Kudos to @Law360, which intervened in court to get this previously-sealed order made public.

Does anybody know where Trump donated the last $200K of his presidential salary?

I'm looking for his Q3 & Q4 donations for 2020. I've tried the White House, Trump Org and Trump's post-presidential office -- but found nada so far.

If you know, reply here so you can get credit! Trump usually gave these donations to other govt. agencies. Did your agency get one in late 2020 or early 2021? Lemme know.

I'd also be grateful to hear if ex-WH folks like @kayleighmcenany or @JHoganGidley remember seeing this cross their desk.

A little piece of history: these receipts show the first time the US govt paid money to the Mar-a-Lago Club after Trump took office.

Secret Service paid Trump’s club $11,500 on 1/27/17. Why? No idea. Trump was still in DC. When I asked for details, all I got were these receipts: I’ve just gotten a few more receipts from the Secret Service, showing payments to Mar-a-Lago in the early months of Trump’s tenure.

I’ll post them as I go through them. Keep in mind that Trump Org said publicly that they were charging the govt “50 bucks” for these rooms...

At Trump’s Chicago tower, employees got vaccinated weeks early — thanks to a hospital whose COO lives in the building.

Confirming @BlockClubCHI scoop...

washingtonpost.com/politics/trump… .@BlockClubCHI also reported that the hospital COO bragged about vaccinating @erictrump at the same time. I asked Eric Trump, the COO and the hospital about that today, got no response from any of them so far.
blockclubchicago.org/2021/03/17/chi…

NEW: How bad are things getting for Trump's company?

Now, the Girl Scouts want out.

They're trying to leave a large office space in Trump's 40 Wall St. bldg. Confirming @businessinsider scoop.

washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/… Here’s our running tally of customers and partners seeking to cut their ties with Trump Org after the Capitol attack.

I’ll update it if the number grows.

We've been on the Trump Org beat for 4 years now. But it hasn't all been filling in spreadsheets and fighting over FOIAs.

Sometimes, it was even a little funny.

While we're all waiting for news today, I thought you might like a rundown of the more humorous moments: 6. I'm at the Trump Hotel in D.C., for a story on the MAGA/RNC party scene. There's *1* couch where I can sit w/out having to buy anything. This couch is my island. I sit for an hour, then get up to stroll the lobby.

Come back.

2 people are passionately making out on my island

MY TOP ELEVEN: We've been writing about @realdonaldtrump's business since early 2017 -- learned some lessons about him along the way.

Here are the 11 stories that I remember the most: 11.) At many of his clubs, @realdonaldtrump's staff hung up a Time Magazine cover w/his face on it.

It was fake.

An early look at the fakery that surrounds Trump -- sometimes intended to fool others, sometimes intended to fool *him.*

washingtonpost.com/politics/a-tim…

NEW: Previously un-released documents show the government has paid $2.5 million to @realdonaldtrump's businesses. Far more than we knew.

Trump Org charged $7,700 for a dinner, $6,000 for floral arrangements…and $3 for POTUS’s own glass of water.

washingtonpost.com/politics/ballr… Here's video from the meeting where @realdonaldtrump's club charged taxpayers $3 for POTUS' own glass of water.

I wish I could tell you if it was tap, bottled, sparkling, or perhaps flecked with gold. But in the video, no water appears.

c-span.org/video/?444190-…

Hello! We're trying to answer a simple question: How much taxpayer money has the government paid to @realdonaldtrump's company?

The White House won't say.

Trump Org won't either.

So we're figuring the answer ourselves. One receipt at a time. 1/
washingtonpost.com/politics/secre… What we know:
--Trump Org charged up to $650 per hotel room, while claiming it charged $50.
--Trump kids brought $200K to Trump Org, by forcing their Secret Service agents to rent Trump rooms.
--Trump Org charges $17K/month for a cottage in Bedminster, even when Trump is gone.

Hello! We’re trying to answer a simple question: how much taxpayer money has been paid to @realdonaldtrump’s businesses?

This week, we learned that the @StateDept knows a big part of the answer.

But it won’t tell until after Election Day.
washingtonpost.com/politics/state… Backstory: we sued the @StateDept to get records about its payments to Trump properties.

They told a judge they had 450 pages, and would “aspire” produce up to 300 pages on Thursday.

Hello! We’re trying to answer a simple question: how much taxpayer money has been paid to @realDonaldTrump’s private business?

Here’s what we’ve learned so far, in four tweets: First we learned what @realdonaldtrump’s company *said* was happening.

They said that, when Trump’s aides and Secret Service agents needed rooms at Trump properties, the company charged super-low rates. “Like $50 bucks,” per night, @erictrump said.

One day — July 25, 2017 — shows how @realdonaldtrump and his family have turned their Secret Service protection into a moneymaker for their private business.

On that day, Trump Org did business with the US govt in 3 countries at the same time.

Here’s how: In IRELAND that day, @realdonaldtrump’s Doonbeg course got paid $6,500 by the government.

@erictrump had visited recently, and charged the Secret Service to come with him.

NEW: @realdonaldtrump’s businesses have charged the US government $1.1 million in private transactions — and Trump’s Bedminster club kept billing taxpayers for room rentals **even while it was closed** for covid. washingtonpost.com/politics/secre… Heres the email from Trump Bedminster’s GM, announcing the club was closing for covid on 3/17/20.
And here are two bills, showing @realdonaldtrump’s club charging the Secret Service about $16,000 while the club was shuttered.
Why? Trump Org wouldn’t say.

We’ve spent this year asking a simple question: How much money have US taxpayers paid to @realdonaldtrump’s private business.
We still have only a partial answer, b/c the government has released so few records.
Examples: The @DeptofDefense spent $75K at Trump properties in his first 5 months alone.
What did they spend after that? We don’t know. This is the most recent record DoD has released. It’s from June 2017.

I’ve spent this year trying to prove @realdonaldtrump’s company was telling the truth about an important promise.
So far, no luck. .@erictrump said last year that — when US govt officials rent rooms — Trump Org charges them “like 50 bucks.”
At the time, we didn’t have many records, to know if that was true.
Now, we have lots of records.
But so far, none show what Eric T said they would.