The chant rang out loudly at Donald Trump’s campaign rallies: “Lock her up!” It was a taunt aimed at Hillary Clinton who Trump accused of violating unspecified laws. The primary focus of his accusations was the Clinton Foundation, a global charity that has benefited millions and received the highest ratings from charity watchdog groups.
There has never been a verified assertion of wrongdoing by Clinton, nor any evidence of favoritism toward donors. Trump himself donated $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation. Nevertheless, he continued to call his opponent “Crooked Hillary” and charge her with running a criminal pay-to-play operation.
Which makes the actions of his daughter Ivanka Trump all the more disturbing. Last week she put up an auction on the Charitybuzz website. It offered an opportunity to “Enjoy Coffee with Ivanka Trump.” The bidding started at a hefty $50,000. And at last check it had risen to over $72,000. That limits the potential winners to a narrow community of elites who are likely to expect something for their generosity. In fact, the New York Times interviewed some of the bidders who came right out and admitted it. For instance, Ozan M. Ozkural, a London-based investment manager, told the Times that he “wanted to meet with Ms. Trump to gain insight into topics like President-elect Donald J. Trump’s possible future dealings with Turkey and other nations where Mr. Ozkural invests.” The Times further noted that:
“Mr. Ozkural is one of several high-profile bidders in a feverish competition to win time with one of Mr. Trump’s children. Other bidders include the owner of a Tex-Mex restaurant chain from Houston who wants to press Mr. Trump, through his daughter, about immigration policy, and a real estate executive and fringe presidential candidate from Florida who wants to send a message to Mr. Trump about election fraud.”
This is precisely the sort of shady behavior that Trump had attributed to Clinton. And it adds to the previously reported conflicts of interest that have hounded Trump for months. He has far flung financial enterprises that present myriad opportunities for rampant corruption. The Washington, D.C. hotel that was recently completed already hosts foreign officials seeking to curry favor with Trump. And his claims that he will hand off his businesses to his kids ring hollow when his kids are active in his transition and administration. He promised to hold a press conference to iron out these matters, but canceled it earlier this week.
The fact that the stated purpose of the auction was to raise money for charity hardly diminishes the impropriety. For one thing, the money doesn’t actually go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as the website says. Instead, it goes to the Eric Trump Foundation. There is no way of knowing where it goes from there. And we already have the example of Papa Trump’s charity taking donations for veterans, but failing to pass them on to the intended recipients. For another thing, Trump wouldn’t let Clinton off the hook under similar circumstance, so why should Ivanka be let off?
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Shortly after the Times began inquiring about Ivanka’s auction it mysteriously disappeared from the website. [Note: It is cached here] But that doesn’t remove the stench of corruption that surrounds Trump and his clan. In fact, the unexplained removal is a de facto admission that there was something fishy about the whole endeavor. And they may have still accepted the last high bid prior to the deletion. Unfortunately, we may never know what the bidder is getting for his money. And the same is true for the hundreds of other conflicts of interest the will infect Trump’s presidency.
Did anyone expect differently?
We must be rid of this cancer before he destroys our country
you must leave the country!!your attitude and understanding is truly cancerous.Being so close to Christmas ,you are surrounding yourselves with such pain and sorrow.I sure do feel sorry for your wretched lives,which of course YOU have developed!!
Then do TRY to justify Ivanka’s actions, and still condemn Michelle Obama for actions she never took. Go on. We’re waiting….
do you not understand the whole annalogy of Trumps wish and promise…………..TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN……..To do WHATEVER IT TAKES, to pay down the monstrous debt that previous governments have put you into.What you all must understand,that trump WILL pay down the debt,WHILE putting billions and billions of dollars in HIS bank account,by legal means of course,BUT the destruction of all natural resourses,and the enviroment ,AND GLOBAL WARMING…..so reality will be destruction of our planet……BUT……,many war torn countries ,who have been knocking on deaths door ,will get some reprieve by monetary allowances,which in turn will quell the bloodshed,SYRIA being prime example. The Trumps do not care between right and wrong,they ALL care about monetary gain ,by whatever means possible.All bordering on riding the LEGAL fence
holy crap, you’re a fool.
trump’s tax plan is going to add 7+ trillion to the debt. his policies tell us he’s going to do the opposite of pay down the republican-created debt.
Yep. And the wingnut faction doesn’t even know that Obama has cut the budget deficit by more than half.
Did anyone say they should leave the country?? And Christmas, seriously. WTF does that have to do with anything? Americans would rather not have the hammer and sickle flag.. Maybe Canada does..that’s your choice! I’m betting Mexico doesn’t either.
how anyone can spout such HATRED so close to Christmas is what i am talking about.The Christmas season has always been understood as a time to put hatred and negativity away,love your fellow man and FORGIVE the sins that they have done,it is that simple. When the new year is upon us ,spout all you want ,jump on a podium and scream out your hatred for what has happened .Get back to where you were!!!………….BUT there is a time and place for EVERYTHING,and the Christmas season is not a time to be spewing hate!!!!!
You mean like you and your fellow FoxPods ALWAYS did to Obama and his family no matter what part of the year it was? Hypocrite.
take a FUCKING break…GEEEZ!!
Yup!
it takes someone of incredibly low intelligence to not understand the damage that fascist trump has promised to inflict on the USA.
so half the population of America must be of INCREDIBLY LOW INTELIGENCE! YOU ARROGANT PRICK!!!!
Well, you said it. Shame you have such a low opinion of those convinced that Der Fuhrer would actually make a better president…
Yes ,shame on you Patrick!!
The Trump family gives prostitution a bad name. Daddy Trump love his women whorish and he’\s now married 3 such women. And he’s trained his daughter well. Go for the bucks. I must hope that Elizabeth Warren’s bill assuring America that the ass called Trump must sever all business relations and blind trust his holdings–truly blind–or face impeachment.
Maybe you should look in the mirror a little harder Russel,and see what HATRED is doing to your looks.The only thing you can say now ,is that he married whores,you are a very lost soul.Really obvious to see what a shit show he did raising his kids,they certainly are deadbeats
The Trump family make the Medicis and the Borgias of city-state Italy look like saints. First Family will soon read; Worst Family! I wouldn’t want them near me.
I gather the auction has been called off. Perhaps someone advised Ms. Trump that these things should be under the table.
Response to Randy:
take a FUCKING break…GEEEZ!!
You FoxPods never did before. Hypocrite.
Exactly – the right wing cult spent 8 years lying about one of our best presidents.
Now they hyperventilate while trying to defend a fascist clown that is promising to harm the USA on a massive scale.