Pat Robertson and other Trump allies are lining president’s pockets with trumped-up Mar-A-Lago events: reporter
Washington Post investigative reporter David A. Fahrenthold revealed to CNN's Chris Cuomo Monday that so many nonpartisan and nonprofit organizations have pulled their balls and galas from that conservative groups are stepping in to help.
After groups like the American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society have all changed their event location after criticism. Since all of the groups have pulled their support, right-wing groups that support Trump are moving in.
Fahrenthold explained that Trump can make as much as $275,000 each night from a single gala hosted at Mar-a-Lago.
"Last year while Trump wasn't president, he basically kept the same schedule," Fahrenthold said. "The Palm Beach society still came, the way they always had. That changed over the summer. President Trump's comments about Charlottesville, where he said, 'There were very fine people among the white supremacists protesting in Charlottesville.' Those caused a huge exodus of charities. Out of the 25 charities he had booked for this upcoming season, he had 25 events booked, 19 cancelled. Huge clients."
It wasn't simply that Trump lost the money, he also lost the exposure to Palm Beach high society, who would flock to his club for the events.
CNN host Chris Cuomo called it "obviously political," noting that those who have taken place are the groups who are looking for a political attachments. Trumpettes USA, Truth About Israel Gala and the Christian Broadcasting Network have all announced galas at Mar-a-Lago.
"To fill in those empty gala days, you seeing these events that are either Trump's political allies like Pat Robertson, the televangelist," Fahrenthold explained. "He didn't have a gala. He had a charity, but he never had a gala before. He started one this year and purposely put it at Mar-a-Lago."
The other two, Fahrenthold said, are hard to even call charities because they aren't there to raise money for a charity, they're at Mar-a-Lago to help "put money in Donald Trump's pocket."
"So they're just going to pay him money through Mar-a-Lago because they support him," Fahrenthold explained. "That's not an event evolution of Mar-a-Lago from basically an apolitical place that sold luxury to a place now selling Trump's political alliances."
Watch the full conversation below: