A decision by Donald Trump's transition team to skip over filing ethics and disclosure forms to the General Services Administration has allowed them to rake in cash from outside sources to fund his transition efforts while not disclosing where the cash is coming from and how much they are taking in.
According to an alarming report from the New York Times, the unprecedented decision to blow off federal funding of the transition by the the president-elect's team opens the door to "secret money" which is alarming ethics experts who believe it will result in unknown actors calling the shots in the incoming Trump White House.
As the Times' Ken Bensinger and David Fahrenthold wrote, "President-elect Donald J. Trump is keeping secret the names of the donors who are funding his transition effort, a break from tradition that could make it impossible to see what interest groups, businesses or wealthy people are helping launch his second term," adding, "Mr. Trump is the first president-elect to sidestep the restrictions, provoking alarm among ethics experts."
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The report notes Trump and his team are forgoing up to $7.2 million in federal funds by not signing an agreement with the Biden administration, which allows them to raise unlimited funds –– including from undisclosed foreign nationals.
Heath Brown, a professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, claimed that should raise red flags.
“When the money isn’t disclosed, it’s not clear how much everybody is giving, who is giving it and what they are getting in return for their donations,” he explained. “It’s an area where the vast majority of Americans would agree that they want to know who is paying that bill.”
"Mr. Trump’s transition team, formally known as Trump Vance 2025 Transition Inc., has revealed nothing about how much money it hopes to raise, who has contributed to the fund or how it is spending the money," the Times is reporting before adding, "The current Trump transition, like its predecessors, is set up as a 'dark money' nonprofit. Those groups typically do not have to disclose their donors, even to the Internal Revenue Service. But unlike Mr. Trump’s team this year, earlier transitions accepted financial support from the General Services Administration, which oversees much of the transition process."
According to Brian Galle, a Georgetown University law professor, the IRS could require an audit for transparency, but that it seems unlikely.
“Given the political sensitivity of this organization, I’d say the odds of their being audited are zero," he predicted.
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