So, State Representative Julie Frye-Mueller recently had the opportunity to speak glowingly about taking a trip funded by a group called “We Build the Wall” in her August 12 Legislative Column, as noted in area papers, this one from the Custer County Chronicle:
and…
Frye-Mueller also asked her constituents to “check out” this organization:
Apparently, someone was already in the process of checking them out:
Bannon and Kolfage were arrested Thursday, along with two other men, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York, the four men allegedly solicited millions of dollars in donations from Trump supporters under the false promise that all of the money would go toward construction of a border wall. Instead, prosecutors charge, they each secretly siphoned off six-figure amounts for themselves.
and..
The 24-page indictment, which was unsealed Thursday, outlines a cynical scheme in which Bannon and the others allegedly sought to capitalize on Trump supporters’ desire to fund a border wall — a core tenet of Trump’s 2016 campaign — in order to enrich themselves.
So Rep. JFM was wined and dined, wrote a column extolling the virtues of the group that flew her out, only to have the group’s leaders arrested for fraud and money laundering less than a week after her column appeared.
Did I mention that it’s getting a little local attention as well?
Representative Julie Frye-Mueller assisted their scam when she accepted a free trip from them to go to the border and then came home and publicized the organization to help solicit more donations. President Donald Trump disavowed the organization and it’s project.
Maybe she should have passed up that free trip in an election year.
As Scooby Doo would say – “Ruh Ro Raggy”!
JFM has a history of making poor decisions – before, during and after session. It will be interesting to see if she says anything about this. The way I see it, this is is one of those “tests” that show who the real, ethical folks are and who the fakers tend to be. I’m putting my money on the latter with JFM on this one. (How much money did she give to or get from this unruly bunch? That would be even more interesting to know.)
I’m not particularly fond of Bannon, but I do recognize that what seems to be alleged could also be used against Soros and Clinton.
Equal justice under the law.
How quaint.
JOhn – There are 2 tiers of justice. One for Liberals/Leftists and everyone else. It all seems a little too convenient that now all the sudden Bannon is a crook. Just like when Manafort got busted for things he did YEARS ago but, NOW all the sudden we need to get after him. Washington is such a cease pool I don’t think anything can clean that place up but, the return of Christ.
I have written about Steve Bannon’s ethical lapses with 501(c)(3) public charities in the past – see: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/trump-adviser-double-dipping-breitbart-nonprofit-foundation/ and my interview here: https://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/long-before-trump-hired-him-steve-bannon-was-making-deals-and-kindling/2316078/. I offer this as proof that I’m not carrying any metaphorical water for Mr. Bannon.
I think, however, that the federal prosecutors and grand jury likely have the current charges wrong. The current organization is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, not a charity. Even if it’s true that they raised money claiming falsely that 100% of donations were going to mission-related activities; i.e., building the wall, that same erroneous claim is often made by 501(c)(3) charities and has never, to my knowledge, been a subject of federal prosecution.
It sounds salacious to claim that a nonprofit’s funds were used for personal expenses, but this happens whenever one receives salary, wages, or contractual compensation for services rendered. If the defendants claimed the income on their tax returns, that fact must be taken into account. If they are claiming expense reimbursement, are the expenses reasonable for a nonprofit in a similar situation?
I have read the approximately 22-page indictment and am less than impressed with its quality. I suspect this case will cost a lot in legal fees and end up with a negotiated settlement so everyone can claim victory.
Don’t fret, Corey. Building the wall is popular in Julie’s district. She will have no trouble in November.
I’d like to see where this goes before I claim that the whole thing was a fraud. I know that somebody on the Right is guilty until proven innocent but somebody on the Left is innocent even if proven guilty, but we’ll see.
It may be that there were fraudulent activities going on, but time will tell, not the mainstream media.