Benzinga - by Shanthi Rexaline, Benzinga Editor.
Mary Trump stated on Thursday that if Donald Trump potentially misused his campaign funds, it could have significant ramifications. In a separate post, she also delved into legal updates concerning her uncle.
Sketchy Transaction: In a post on Substack, clinical psychologist Mary Trump noted that Donald Trump’s political action committees (PACs) allegedly assisted the former president in covering his growing legal expenses through questionable methods.
A bulk of his legal expenses, approximately $8 million, have been funneled to unidentified party or parties through Red Curve Solutions, a firm that handles his political accounting, Mary Trump said, citing a detailed report by Roger Sollenberger.
“This setup purportedly obscures the real recipients of Donald's legal payments, potentially violating federal law and the restrictions on corporate political contributions,” she said.
In the Federal Election Commission filings, these payments were recorded as “reimbursements” for legal expenses and fees, Sollenberger said in the report.
“The fact that such a large sum of money is being funneled through a third party, raises several red flags,” Mary Trump said. While the FEC has strict rules regarding transparency in campaign finance in order to prevent corruption and ensure the integrity of the political system, the siphoning of funds by Donald Trump’s PACs suggests a “deliberate attempt to obscure the flow of funds in order to hide the true recipients of these payments,” she said.
Violation of FEC rules would represent a serious breach of ethics and, potentially, a criminal act, she added.
With Red Curve Solutions serving merely as a conduit for these funds, it isn’t yet known who the ultimate beneficiaries were, Mary Trump said.
“The use of a middleman suggests a desire to obscure the true recipients of the funds, to hide the true nature of these transactions,” she added.
Mary Trump noted that the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing democracy through law, has already filed a complaint with the FEC.
“If it's discovered that these payments are in violation of campaign finance laws, it could result in hefty fines and even criminal charges,” she said.
Week’s Legal Travails: In a separate post, Mary Trump stated that Donald Trump faced two significant cases this week: the election interference case in New York City and the Supreme Court hearing to determine his immunity from alleged federal crimes.
The psychologist said the Supreme Court could rule in favor of her uncle but it may not help him in the short run.
Mary Trump said “in a sane country, this case never would have made it to the Supreme Court. It's a ludicrous argument being made on behalf of a ludicrous defendant.”
“The concept of immunity itself goes against one of this country's most fundamental principles: no president is above the law,” she said.
Despite the week’s “debacle in the Supreme Court being a win of sorts for Donald, there's a lot more going on that is not in his favor,” the psychologist said.
“Because no matter what happens at the federal level, and no matter how the Court rules, Donald cannot be pardoned for state crimes,” she said.
“The stakes in these state trials — Georgia, and particularly New York — are incredibly high. But the cases against him are also very strong.”
Delving into the New York hush-money case, Mary Trump said, “Donald's legal quagmire deepens.”
“In the New York case, prosecutors have been constructing a robust case, which the defense has, so far, been unable to challenge effectively,” she said, adding that “[we're] just seeing the tip of the iceberg and we have another four to six weeks to go, with testimony to be heard, potentially from Michael Cohen, Karen McDougal, and others. But at least the wheels of justice are turning in New York.”
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