Trump’s Latest Scam: Soliciting Illegal Donations From Lawmakers in the UK, Australia, Iceland

Trump and Family Members Are Sending Emails to Members of Parliament Around the World Asking for Money So He Can Defeat ‘Crooked Hillary’

Donald Trump is soliciting illegal donations from Members of Parliament in the UK, Australia, Iceland, and Denmark*. If they were to donate to his campaign and he were to accept their donations, it would be a violation of federal law. Making the offense worse, Trump’s email scam offers to match their contributions, dollar for dollar, up to two million dollars of his own money.

“I’m fighting back against Crooked Hillary and her pathetic cronies, as well as the dishonest liberal media, and I need your help,” a portion of an email to an Icelandic MP reads, according to the IcelandMonitor. 

“The bottom line – Crooked Hillary has been a DISASTER for our country, and we must win against her this fall, Friend,” it continues. “Let’s show the liberals, the professional pundits, and the Washington establishment that this campaign IS NOT ABOUT ME. It’s a movement of hardworking, patriotic people who want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”

Talking Points Memo editor in chief Josh Marshall reported the Iceland story late Tuesday night.

“Accepting contributions from foreign nationals is illegal of course though in this case it seems more a matter of incompetence than criminal intent,” Marshall generously offers. He added that it seemed as “though Trump has bought his email list not for [sic] a party list vendor but maybe from a Nigerian email scammer.”

TPM’s Caitlin Macneal earlier Tuesday reported on the UK side of the story.

“Numerous members of the British parliament have complained that they have received multiple emails from the Trump campaign asking for a donation,” Macneal writes. 

Natalie McGarry, a Scottish MP, posted an email from Trump’s son, and her response back:

McGarry chastised Donald Trump, Jr. for sending UK lawmakers “a begging bowl,” and labeled the Trump for President campaign “repugnant.” She pointed to Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and comments and said it is “quite extraordinary” he would ask “foreign nationals” for cash.

The Scottish National Party has filed a complaint with the U.S. Federal Elections Commission.

Upon hearing the news an Australian Member of Parliament reached out to Marshall noting he too was being spammed by the Trump campaign, with at least four email solicitations:

Meanwhile, Marshall, after posting his report, Tuesday night took to Twitter to mock the GOP presumptive nominee, detailing what a Trump Nigerian scam email might look like: 

*UPDATE: 8:35 AM EDT –
Josh Marshall tweets:

 

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license