Blundering Trump smacked with swift reminder as Oval Office gaffe called out as illegal
Critics of President Donald Trump tried to sarcastically do him a favor as they warned his recent gaffe suggested illegal activity.
On Friday, Trump answered reporters' questions from the Oval Office, and when asked about the MAGA Inc. Super PAC, which hasn't been sharing funds with GOP contenders ahead of the midterms, he said it's "my money," even though it's not legally his money.
"This money from MAGA Inc. This is my money that I control," Trump said. "We have around $1 billion that I can spend."
"It's illegal to coordinate with Super PACs," pointed out former Democratic congressional candidate and healthcare advocate Melanie D'Arrigo. "And Trump gutted the agency that polices and investigates that."
"It's illegal for Trump to use his super PAC money and political nonprofit money for unauthorized purposes," explained Axios White House reporter Marc Caputo. "But the president could theoretically do that anyway -- take the money, as much as $800 million (he says about a billion) -- and then self-pardon."
Progressive political analyst Molly Jong-Fast simply reacted with a long "Hahahaha."
"That sound you hear is John Thune crying into a [g]lass of bourbon," joked Eric Michael Garcia, Washington, D.C., bureau chief for The Independent, referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
"Trump could illegally pocket the hundreds of millions in this Super PAC, and Republicans in Congress will pretend like it's not happening while Susan Collins writes a strongly worded letter telling Trump to cut it out," lamented columnist Ben Palmer.
When asked how he's going to use the money in his Super PAC, Trump said, "I'm going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us," and "I think we have a chance at doing well in the midterms."
He said that he plans to spend about half a billion dollars as he goes on a campaign tour to boost GOP candidates in competitive races.