Where Did Trump's Record Inauguration Spending Go? - "It's Inexplicable"

[red dog 1]

ProPublica.org
March 14, 2018


Last month, the committee that ran President Donald Trump's inaugural festivities released basic details about it's revenues and spending.
Trump raised $107 million, almost twice the previous record, and spent $104 million.
The committee's tax filing showed that $26 million of the spending went to an event planning firm started in December by a friend of the first lady.

It's not clear how the firm spent that money, or how most of the money raised for the inauguration was used.
The tax filing doesn't show spending by subcontractors, nor is it required to do so.

In this week's episode of "Trump, Inc." we dig into the inauguration.
We've found that even experienced inaugural planners are baffled by the Trump committee's massive fundraising and spending operation.
We also noticed that two members of the inaugural committee have been convicted of financial crimes, and a third - the committee's treasurer - was reportedly an unindicted
co-conspirator in an accounting fraud.

Greg Jenkins led former President George W. Bush's second inaugural committee in 2005, which raised and spent $42 million.
Asked about how Trump's team managed to spend so much more, Jenkins said:
"It;s inexplicable to me..I literally don't know."

More + podcast:
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-trump-record-inauguration-spending

[NewJeffCT]

1. it certainly wasn't needed for crowd control

I think there were more people at the June 2016 meeting with the Russians at Trump Tower.

[Achilleaze]

2. republican grifters ripping off America

as usual. Freakin republican "values" are the sleaziest.

[flibbitygiblets]

3. Inexplicable! Stephen Hawking couldn't have figured it out!

It's the 8th wonder of the world! No, 9th, after "which candidate did the Russians want to win in 2016?"

May as well stop trying to solve this one, folks. There's just no way to know.

[wishstar]

4. They certainly didn't spend it on any A-Lister entertainers- but money laundering is most likely

The friend of Melania who got the $26 mill and claims she paid her contract workers probably instead just funnelled it into one of those shell corporations so Melania could access millions in some kind of backhanded Trump approved deal.

[Control-Z]

5. Is this common?

We also noticed that two members of the inaugural committee have been convicted of financial crimes, and a third - the committee's treasurer - was reportedly an unindicted
co-conspirator in an accounting fraud.

Seriously. I'm sure that it would be difficult to vet every person and organization/business a campaign hires. So I'm honestly asking if previous campaigns have been known to run into this kind of corruption with the folks they hired.

[matt819]

6. Oh my!

You're not suggestion corruption, are you?

Or money laundering?

Who would have thought that?

[onethatcares]

7. it was used to pay the magicians

Now you see it, Now you don't.