Nothing says totally legal and above board like giving a potential voter an envelope filled with cash, but that’s exactly what Trump folks have been doing ahead of November’s election.
According to Politico, last month, at an event held by the Urban Revitalization Coalition, a 501(c)3 charitable organization headed up by Darrell Scott—“King Conk” to those of you who have been watching—in which attendees participated in a ticket drawing. And if their number was called, they were given an envelope with cash inside.
From Politico:
The first cash giveaway took place last month. Another was scheduled in Virginia for Martin Luther King Day before being scrapped amid a dispute with the college set to host the event. Organizers say they plan to roll out a tour schedule featuring more events soon.
The group’s “Christmas Extravaganza” event in Cleveland last month featured a $25,000 giveaway and an appearance by Ja’Ron Smith, a deputy assistant to the president. A Cleveland native who worked on Trump’s criminal justice reform, Smith is among the highest-ranking black officials in the White House.
At the event, which also featured an appearance by television personality Geraldo Rivera, Lanier compared the investigative scrutiny faced by Trump to the plight of wrongfully incarcerated black men. He also defended Trump’s record on race.
Politico notes that the money giveaway certainly wouldn’t fly in most ethical circles; it also may have crossed a few actual rules. For one, Urban Revitalization Coalition is a nonprofit and its money must be spent for charitable purposes, and giving out wads of cash for people to listen to a sideways campaign pitch may not qualify as charitable work.
NYMag reports that while President Trump clearly needs help wooing black voters—he won a mere 8 percent of black voters in 2016—who are we kidding, he’s desperate to pick up votes anyway he can.
All of this is going on as Trump’s impeachment trial is still underway, proving that once again, this administration and those who believe in it will stop at nothing to ensure that their candidate gets re-elected.