Buying Votes
Why does nothing shock or surprise me anymore? I mean, this is something I would expect in some corrupt third-world country run by a warlord, but here we are:
Allies of Donald Trump have begun holding events in black communities where organizers lavish praise on the president as they hand out tens of thousands of dollars to lucky attendees.
The money is being funneled through a 501(c)3 charity, which allows the donors to remain anonymous and their contributions to be tax deductible. So you are paying for part of this.
The winners’ names are picked from a bin, and most of the winners get $ 300 – $ 500, just below the $ 600 where the lucky recipient would have to fill out an IRS W-9 form in order to comply with tax law.
Of course, charities are supposed to use their money for charitable activities, and giving out money in a lottery to arbitrary people in return for them listening to political speech is hardly that. But don’t hold your breath waiting for Trump’s “Justice” department to investigate.
