Sons’ Names Registered With State of Texas as Nonprofit’s Directors
The Trump transition team is denying that Donald Trump or his two adult sons had anything to do with a cash for access scheme dressed up to look like fundraising for charity. A nonprofit called the Opening Day Foundation, registered with the State of Texas just six days ago, lists as two of its four directors Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. A brochure published last week by TMZ shows a pay for play event scheduled for just one day after the presidential inauguration, January 21, 2017.
For one million dollars, donated to the Opening Day Foundation, anyone and 15 of their guests could meet newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump, the brochure states. Additionally, four people could go hunting with Trump’s two adult sons, Eric and Donald Jr., on a later date. A similar package for eight people is being offered for $500,000. For a quarter million dollars guests could meet the two sons, but not President Trump.
“All net proceeds from the Opening Day event will be donated to conservation charities,” the Opening Day Foundation brochure reads. The names of the charities are not listed, nor is “net proceeds” defined.
“The Opening Day event and details that have been reported are merely initial concepts that have not been approved or pursued by the Trump family,” a statement from the Trump transition team National Press Secretary Hope Hicks reads. “Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are avid outdoorsmen and supporters of conservation efforts, which align with the goals of this event, however they are not involved in any capacity.”
Its unclear how two of the brand new non-profit’s directors, Eric and Donald Jr., could not be involved in any capacity since their names are on the brochure as “honorary co-chairmen” and the organization is less than a week old. The other two directors according to the Center for Public Integrity, which first reported on the background of the foundation, are “Dallas investor Gentry Beach and Tom Hicks Jr., the son of a Dallas billionaire.”
“Beach and Hicks,” CPI reports, “are reportedly close friends with Donald Trump Jr., and both men helped raise millions of dollars for Trump’s campaign.”
The Wall Street Journal adds that “Ms. Hicks said the president-elect is ‘not aware of the event or the details pertaining to’ it. She didn’t respond to a question about whether he would attend.”
The Journal adds that “Mr. Trump could now spend his first full day as president meeting with donors to his own family’s foundation. What’s more, as a nonprofit, Opening Day Foundation will not be required to disclose its donors. Already, donors who gave $1 million or more to Mr. Trump’s inaugural committee are guaranteed tickets to a ‘candlelight dinner’ with ‘special appearances’ by Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania.”
“During the campaign,” the Journal continues, “Mr. Trump pledged to ‘drain the swamp’ and said that as president, he wouldn’t be beholden to special interests and major donors. He also railed against Democrat Hillary Clinton and her family foundation, accusing her of engaging in ‘pay-to-play’ politics as secretary of state.”
Trump also demanded that the Clinton Foundation, an actual charity that is responsible for saving countless lives, especially those of people living with HIV/AIDS, be shuttered, calling it “the most corrupt enterprise in political history.”
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Image by Disney | ABC Television Group via Flickr and a CC license