David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post has written a series of stories about the Trump Foundation. He reported that Trump has put any money into his foundation since 2008; that he collects contributions from other people and then makes splashy donations, claiming credit even though the money did not come from him. Fahrenthold then learned that Trump owed some business debts and used the money in the foundation to pay them off, which lawyers may call “self-dealing.” The foundation is currently under investigation by the New York State Attorney General.
Today, the Washington Post excoriated Trump for the campaign’s response to Fahrenthold’s stories, which raise serious legal and ethical questions. The letter assailed the reporter for his “bias,” slammed his articles as full of factual errors and omissions, but did not bother to mention a single fact or omission in Fahrenthold’s reporting.
This seems to be Trump’s style. If you can’t answer the question, smear the person who raised it. You can anticipate that any question about his actions or words will be answered with an attack on Clinton or Obama or both. Watch him as he deflects and blames. The letter in this post is a good example of that strategy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Lincoln said, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Unfortunately, Lincoln didn’t say how much time it would take for the majority to wake up and realize that they are being mislead and fooled by a narcissistic, psychopath, serial liar and greedy, con-man fraud.
Agreed
Surprised that Cilizza would actually write an accurate commentary. I quit reading The Fix a couple of years ago because he is one of the patron saints of “both siderism.”
Greg,
Trump’s lashing out at the media has made many of them aware that he is untrustworthy, angry, unhinged. With Trump, it is hard to see both sides. Only question is whether he is a sociopath or a psychopath.
I agree with you. I guess my point was that even Cilizza was boxed in a corner to state the truth. But for another example of how both siderism continues to live like a zombie, see Andrea Mitchell’s view today with Congressman John Lewis.
Both siderism is a great term.
Journalists who describe God and Satan and see both sides.
Here’s a link to video I mentioned: http://crooksandliars.com/2016/09/andrea-mitchell-concern-trolls-all-over
We’re back to the fallacy of a “false balance.” So if one “side” has a full truth, and the other has a half-truth or a lie, and a mediator gives “both sides,” the full truth gets lost or at least alloyed. At some point, our news people don’t need to “take sides,” but rather to become critical-minded (some ARE more than others) so they can press the issues by asking the questions that will shed light on the lies and omissions, and quickly dispense with the distractions.
Freedom of speech and the press is not only abused by suppression. It’s also abused by distractions, omissions, and lies and the mistrust of and by everyone that predictably follows–and then by those in our republic who seem not to give a hoot about the pied pipers who regularly abuse those freedoms that we all depend on.
That’s Trump’s style–he’s a walking set of logical fallacies. I have to ask: what would happen to Hillary’s political career if she used foundation funds to purchase a grotesque portrait of herself.
Wake me up when November’s gone.
Trump’s misuse of his 501c3 status supports the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen’s increased scrutiny of 501c3’s. Look at Gulen, Success Academy, and any number of the 501c3 scandals lately – those are just the ones we know about. Some Republicans are calling for his ouster, for looking too closely at 501c3’s, but many people would have lots to say about misspending at their local non-profit charters if only someone would ask.
How long did Trump get away with fraud, all at the expense of the taxpayer? It’s a great time to fix the loopholes at 501c3’s.
All those “community boards” that charter non-profits brag about should pay attention to how Mr. Fahrenthold went through Trump’s 1099s, and do the same for their school’s public filings, line by line.
It’s their job as board members, after all.
Paz,
The most astonishing 501c3 is ALEC, the far-right corporate funded organization that writes model legislation for states to copy, to eliminate unions, regulations, oversight, and the public sector.
They are a 501c3
Yet my annual donation to Common Cause comes with the disclaimer that it is not Tax deductible.
Trump is a veritable menace to the USA and globally.
Norwegian Filmmaker, agreed. It is embarrassing for the US to have this greedy con man as a serious candidate for President. He should be getting 8% of the vote. Shame on the Republicans who have fallen in line to support this fraud.
Too many of the GOP’s supporters have been fooled and mislead by far right hate-fear media that they are not capable of knowing truth from lies. They have been conditioned for decades to think that whatever they are fed through this huge media fear-hate machine is the truth no matter how false and misleading it is.
A post at The Ringer.com helps explain why Trump is Trump and who his most loyal followers are.
https://theringer.com/how-the-far-right-media-controls-donald-trump-3d077ca46a21#.8r43rhohl
And after reading a study from the Pew Research Center on media sources left and right, I think the reason for so many supporting Trump is because they hate Hillary more than they fear The Donald. The media hasn’t done its job to reveal who The Donald really is or that fear would have shifted from Hillary to Donald by now.
http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/section-1-media-sources-distinct-favorites-emerge-on-the-left-and-right/
And why do so many Americans hate and distrust Hillary Clinton.
The National Memo.com reports on “The Media’s Crusade of Scandals Against Hillary Clinton”
The author of the piece starts out with, “It’s always been my conviction that if Hillary Clinton could be appointed president, she’d do a bang-up job. Getting elected, however, might prove more difficult. Michelle Goldberg does an excellent job defining the problem in a Slate article about why so many people say they hate her.”
http://www.nationalmemo.com/media-crusade-scandals-clinton/
If Donald Trump wins the White House, I’m convinced it will be the media’s fault more than anything else. The old Nazi adage if you say a lie enough it becomes the truth is a fact and Hillary is a perfect example as a victim. I think she is a victim and the media made it happen because jumping on the hate-Hillary wagon boosted audience share and profits. Who cares about balanced reporting based on actual facts instead of rumors and propaganda? A witch hunt is so much more fun compared to a boring trial that has lawyers, a jury, and a judge that examine the facts beyond a reasonable doubt. For instance, none of these fools care about the results of all 33 Bengahzi hearings. If you want to know the results, just click the following link and scroll to the bottom of the info graphic. This info graphic of the Benghazi hearings is a perfect example of Hillary’s life long scandals that have never found evidence she is guilty of any of the allegations directed at her from the far right hate-fear media of lies and misinformation.
http://benghazicommittee.com/benghazi-by-the-numbers/
Hillary was found guilty by the hooded vigilantes a long time ago. Even the premier Hillary hater here, Ed Detective, hides under an anonymous hood unless “Ed Detective” is his/her real name.
All Trump is, is the embodiment of all the dog whistles of the Republican party since Nixon’s Southern strategy. As we both know the assault on Public Education originated as part of that strategy.
Lloyd Lofthouse
Yes Hillary has been under a constant smear campaign by the right. Not all off it undeserved. Somehow that “VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY” was not applied to Gore, Kerry or Obama. Yes there were other smears from swift boating to birther-ism. But never an implication of corruption (that I recall).
Her real problems have been predictable from the start. The youth vote doesn’t care about the emails they care about the “speeches”, synonymous with what could become actual policy. Many are not motivated to come out and vote, no less vote for Hillary. So I expect to hear from NYC Parent soon about singing Hillary’s praises.
I spoke to two groups (about 75 people ) of targeted voters today about the damage Trump(Republicans) will do to the Union construction trades. I asked a member that I knew in each group to describe my feeling about Hillary. Everybody laughed at the description. I then explained,
“I will be voting for her because I value my pension my healthcare and their opportunity to earn an excellent living, (I am retired). I then informed them that I am the only person on the planet more narcissistic than Trump, I always want to be right. This is one time I want to be wrong. ”
“If you vote for Trump as a Union construction worker you will lose everything. “Right to Work”, repeal of Davis Bacon and the end of Project Labor Agreements is game over for Union construction Trades. That will be the death knell for the entire union movement. You might as well just take those gun’s you own and blow your brains out. It will be less painful.”
Before the assault on Public Schools and their Union teachers. The first attack by the Business Round Table was on the Union Construction Trades. It continues to this day.
I do not have to forgive neo liberal democrats, nor the media they own for their sins, in order to make it perfectly clear that Trump is not an alternative. At least not to workers who have much to lose. Those that have already lost everything are more difficult to reach. But who do we blame for the fact that Democrats are no longer seen as the “party of the people”. On that note an interesting article from Hedges. I do not have to agree on his prescriptions (There is Lesser Evil Voting)to agree with his analysis.
He takes it right back to Mills.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_courtiers_and_the_tyrants_20160918
Reblogged this on Politicians Are Poody Heads and commented:
At least some mainstream media reporters are starting to find their backbones and questioning Trump.
It’s a step in the right direction. I just hope that it’s not too little, too late.
A great video from the Guardian for many reasons
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/chair_of_local_trump_campaign_in_ohio_20160922
Trump waffles on everything except this: vengeance.