Melania Trump Speech Appears To Be An Illegal Campaign Contribution - HuffPo

[StrictlyRockers]

CLEVELAND ― The revelation that Donald Trump’s business staff writer Meredith McIver wrote the partly plagiarized speech given by Melania Trump on Monday night raises questions about whether his campaign is illegally commingling corporate and campaign resources.

McIver does not appear to have any official role in the presidential campaign. Her letter acknowledging her role in the speech debacle appeared on corporate letterhead from the Trump Organization. And she is not listed as being paid by the Trump campaign on any available reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Corporations are banned from donating directly or through in-kind services to political campaigns. McIver could have volunteered her services, but her offer to resign from the Trump Organization suggests that she was acting within her job responsibilities. (Donald Trump rejected that offer.)

“Given the identification of McIver as an ‘in-house staff writer’ at the Trump Organization in both the statement and letter, and her resignation from the Trump Organization ― printed on Trump Organization stationary ― and not the campaign, it appears that corporate resources may have been used to prepare the speech,” said Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the campaign finance watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “That would make the speech an illegal in-kind corporate contribution from the Trump Organization to the campaign.” <...>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/melania-trump-speech-campaign-contribution_us_578fb709e4b0f180da641208?

OMG, this is getting juicier! What kind of sanctions can the FEC impose? Does that agency really still have any teeth?

[StrictlyRockers]

1. Red Flags

Larry Noble, general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center and former general counsel for the FEC, agreed that McIvers’ role “raises a lot of red flags.”

[greymattermom]

2. Fake linkedin profile too

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-mciver-9809a0122?authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=T5N7&locale=en_US&trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CclickedEntityId%3A510065520%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH%2Cidx%3A1-3-3%2CtarId%3A1469053133091%2Ctas%3AMeredith%20McIver

[eastwestdem]

4. And a Facebook page just started this morning. nt

[C_U_L8R]

3. GOP attorney Ginsberg tried to paint it as 'personal volunteering'

Caught that mention this afternoon on MSNBC.
This sounds like bullshit and there is no other
professional speechwriter donating their services
to write convention keynotes. I'm curious what
the FEC will say.

[central scrutinizer]

5. Let's run this up the flagpole

Michelle Obama illegally contributed to the Trump campaign by allowing her speech to be used without attribution. Therefore, it is Obama's fault.

[John Poet]

6. THIS is NOT 'small potatoes' !!!!

My guess is, this won't be the only instance of that happening with the Trump campaign.


"LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!"

[Gothmog]

7. The gang that could not shoot straight