Payday lender accidentally exposes pay-to-play scheme between RNC and White House

A Republican fundraiser exposed a pay-to-play scheme between the GOP and the White House.

Michael Hodges, founder of Advance Financial, told a gathering of his fellow payday lenders that industry contributions to President Donald Trump's re-election campaign could win access to administration officials, reported the Washington Post.

Hodges urged other payday lenders to donate to Trump's campaign -- "every dollar amount, no matter how small or large it is" -- as their industry tries to weaken Obama administration regulations of short-term loans to consumers at high interest rates.

The payday lender linked the Republican National Committee to the scheme during a Sept. 24 webinar sponsored by industry consultant Borrow Smart Compliance.

“For example, I’ve gone to Ronna McDaniel and said, ‘Ronna, I need help on something,’” Hodges said. “She’s been able to call over to the White House and say, ‘Hey, we have one of our large givers. They need an audience ... They need to be heard and you need to listen to them.’ So that’s why it’s important.”