Thread: Foreign Politicians to Trump: Stop 'Begging' for Money

Foreign Politicians to Trump: Stop 'Begging' for Money

• By LAURIE KELLMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Jun 29, 2016, 5:57 PM ETCall it 'Trexit.'

Members of the British Parliament and other foreign politicians want off Donald Trump's email list, and are seeking to block the presidential candidate from asking them for campaign donations.

"Please stop sending begging letters to MPs," tweeted Stuart McDonald, a member of the British Parliament.

"It's pathetic."

A pair of watchdog groups notes that the practice is not just annoying, it's illegal.

"Donald Trump should have known better," said Paul S. Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center, which with Democracy 21 is filing a complaint to the Federal Election Commission.

It's true that federal election law is designed to keep foreign cash out of U.S. political campaigns. It's also true that Trump is revving up a fundraising operation after federal reports showed he raised about a tenth of what Democrat Hillary Clinton has raised during the most recent reporting period.

Trump is now sending millions of Americans emailed appeals for campaign cash. In one day last week,

Trump collected $3 million in campaign contributions — as much as he did in the entire month of May. He had asked for donations of $10 or more, with the promise of adding $2 million of his own money.

Trump's campaign, fresh from a visit to Scotland last week, apparently also has sent solicitations to foreign politicians. The watchdog groups cited news reports saying politicians in Iceland, Australia, Britain and Scotland have received such missives.

Sir Roger Gale appealed to the speaker of the British House of Commons on Tuesday to block Trump's campaign appeals.

"Members of Parliament are being bombarded with electronic communications from Team Trump on behalf of somebody called Donald Trump," Gale said to House of Commons Speaker John Bercow. "I am all in favor of free speech, but I do not see why colleagues on either side of the House should be subjected to intemperate spam."

Bercrow sympathized, noting that Gale must have "undergone an irritating and — some might think — exceptionally tedious experience." He agreed that MPs should not be "bombarded with emails the content of which is offensive" and pledged to advise Parliament's digital service to block Trump's emails.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireS...money-40233016

Sounds like some MP's signed up for Donald Trump emails.

The Trump campaign probably violated FEC fundraising laws

9:24 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, 2016

It seems Donald Trump's attempt to begin seriously fundraising for the general election might cost him a violation from the Federal Election Commission. The Campaign Legal Center, an election watchdog group, has filed a complaint against the Trump campaign for soliciting money from foreign officials.

In a statement, the group's deputy executive director said, "It is a no-brainer that it violates the law to send fundraising emails to members of a foreign government on their official foreign government email accounts, and yet, that's exactly what Trump has done repeatedly."

Federal law is pretty explicit on accepting or even asking for money from foreign nationals. And there seems to be a lot of evidence to back up the group's claims.

Politicians from the U.K. have complained about Trump's campaign sending them emails asking for money -- so much so that the House of Commons is working on finding a way to block the emails.

If true, this could be Trump's attempt to capitalize on the recent anti-establishment sentiment that propelled the U.K. to vote to leave the EU. Trump recently praised the decision during his trip to Scotland.

It's hard to tell if this was an accident or if the Trump campaign was really hoping to get its hands on some foreign campaign money. Either way, the campaign is under more pressure to start taking fundraising seriously; a recent FEC filing revealed Trump is trailing his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by tens of millions of dollars.

This video includes clips from Right Side Broadcasting, U.K. Parliament, Fox News, The Campaign Legal Center and Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
Music provided courtesy of APM Music.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/nationa...ising-l/nrqCP/

Sounds fishy to me.

I get the fundraising emails because I'm signed up at Donald J Trump for President. If these people are getting emails it's because they signed up at Donald J Trump for President. That's the only way they would even have their email and if that's the case then the emails sent out didn't filter them and the attempt to fundraise in UK Parliament was inadvertent.

52 USC 30121: Contributions and donations by foreign nationals

Text contains those laws in effect on June 28, 2016

From Title 52-VOTING AND ELECTIONS

Subtitle III-Federal Campaign Finance

CHAPTER 301-FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGNSSUBCHAPTER I-DISCLOSURE OF FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FUNDS

Jump To:Source CreditCodificationPrior ProvisionsAmendmentsEffective Date

§30121. Contributions and donations by foreign nationals

(a) Prohibition

It shall be unlawful for-

(1) a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make-
(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;
(B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or
(C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or

(2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.

(b) "Foreign national" defined

As used in this section, the term "foreign national" means-
(1) a foreign principal, as such term is defined by section 611(b) of title 22, except that the term "foreign national" shall not include any individual who is a citizen of the United States; or
(2) an individual who is not a citizen of the United States or a national of the United States (as defined in section 1101(a)(22) of title 8) and who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined by section 1101(a)(20) of title 8.

(Pub. L. 92–225, title III, §319, formerly §324, as added

Pub. L. 94–283, title I, §112(2), May 11, 1976, 90 Stat. 493; renumbered §319,
Pub. L. 96–187, title I, §105(5), Jan. 8, 1980, 93 Stat. 1354; amended
Pub. L. 107–155, title III, §§303, 317, Mar. 27, 2002, 116 Stat. 96,109.)

http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?r...edition=prelim

Originally Posted by Judy

I get the fundraising emails because I'm signed up at Donald J Trump for President. If these people are getting emails it's because they signed up at Donald J Trump for President. That's the only way they would even have their email and if that's the case then the emails sent out didn't filter them and the attempt to fundraise in UK Parliament was inadvertent.

You can't actually know that.

The correct word should be asking not begging. Another small fire Manafort will put out.