Watchdog vows to sue Trump if he runs for president, citing 14th Amendment, but won’t reveal who paid his campaign $3.8 million
Donald Trump, seen here shortly after announcing his candidacy in June 2015, may be running for president, but he is not running his own campaign, said the top watchdog for Democratic candidates running in Democratic primaries. Photo: Getty Images
On June 2, the Democratic National Committee sent out the first email blast of an “Operation Hush Money” to every candidate running for president. It promised to expose any “inappropriate relationships” between any donor and a prospective candidate.
What’s more, it promised a report on those who don’t donate at all, or donors who contributed under $200.
But the DNC and the candidate running against Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, will not reveal who these unnamed donors are and what the money that gave rise to Operation Hush Money was used for.
“The campaign is not going to discuss the donors,” said Jim Steinberg, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign. (Steinberg declined to comment on possible donors in the campaign finance reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.) Steinberg wrote in an email that the DNC “has a long list of requirements for its candidates and donors, which are set forth in the guidelines they are required to meet and comply with.”
The rules the DNC published on its web site said that, “all donors should have at least two years of tax returns, or a full 10 years if they are self-employed.” The rules also required that any donations under $200 be sent directly to the DNC.
To make a donation, donors must go to DNC.org and click on the “Donate Now” button.
The rules don’t distinguish between what is a “contribution” and what is a “loan.”
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