Internet unsurprised as new complaint alleges Trump hid millions in legal costs through corporate entity

WASHINGTON, DC: There's something disconcerting about Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, according to an article published by The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

The former president's campaign team and four associated PACs have been utilizing a GOP compliance firm to cover legal fees. However, there is a lack of transparency regarding the ultimate recipient of millions of dollars in legal payments.

As a result, the Trump campaign and the four PACs are now facing a new ethics complaint over the arrangement.

What does the ethics complaint against Donald Trump entail?

The Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit watchdog, filed the complaint with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday afternoon, stating that Trump and his associated PACs aren't only violating federal reporting rules but also violating the ban on corporate contributions.

According to the complaint, the arrangement in which five Trump committees have reimbursed Red Curve Solutions, a political accounting firm, for millions of dollars in advanced legal costs, makes it the single largest recipient of the ex-president's legal payments over the last year.

This prompts several questions about whom the 77-year-old MAGA strongman is truly compensating for this legal work, whom they represent, and the actual amount they are being paid.

The complaint argues that Red Curve Solutions has been unlawfully fronting the costs for Trump's political committees.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that Red Curve Solutions has no track record of offering legal services.

This raises serious concerns about the legality of the transactions and the transparency of the financial records.

The Campaign Legal Center is calling for the FEC to investigate these payments immediately since the arrangement is still ongoing.

According to Saurav Ghosh, the director of federal reform at CLC, the sheer extent of the arrangement is "unprecedented."

He argues that the scheme deprives the public of their right to know the exact recipients of Trump's political groups' donor funds. This is particularly important given the significance of Trump's legal spending during this election.

“Available information points to the conclusion that Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and other Trump-affiliated committees violated federal law by obscuring who they paid for legal services and how much they paid for those services,” Ghosh said in the statement.

“Voters have a right to know exactly how these Trump-affiliated committees are spending their money, particularly since it is unprecedented to see political candidates or committees spending such massive amounts of money on legal expenses," he added.

CLC has filed a complaint that outlines the reimbursement agreement between five committees affiliated with Donald Trump and Red Curve.

According to the complaint, all five committees pay Red Curve for compliance services and list Bradley Crate as their treasurer.

FEC filings indicate that Red Curve "regularly advanced money or covered the expenses of legal services rendered by other vendors, for which Red Curve was later reimbursed."

However, the company and committees did not itemize these reimbursements, which “undermines the bedrock transparency” of public disclosure laws' transparency.

As a corporate entity, Red Curve is prohibited from making in-kind contributions to campaigns and PACs involved in this arrangement, including advance payments that are subsequently reimbursed.

“Both the substantial sums at issue and the duration of the reimbursement scheme support the conclusion that each of the Trump-affiliated Committees knew that it was paying Red Curve for legal services that were, in fact, being provided by another vendor whose name would thereby be hidden from public view,” the complaint states.

The document also includes thorough comparisons to other examples of comparable payment and reporting arrangements that the FEC previously determined were illegal under federal law.

The complaint argues that the public information currently accessible lacks clarity regarding the recipients and purposes of these payments—whether they were directed towards Trump's personal legal expenses, expenses for individuals associated with Trump or these PACs, other witnesses or co-defendants, or even potentially covering expenses unrelated to legal services.

As per the report mentioned, the filings indicate a potential arrangement for cost-sharing among parties. Trump's PACs frequently reimburse Red Curve in pairs, with payments being made closely together in time.

Numerous payments mirror each other exactly, down to the cent, while others resemble fraternal twins, with payment dates staggered but the amounts largely similar.

The complaint underscores the significance of public disclosure in overseeing and regulating potential improper coordination among candidates, campaigns, outside spending groups like "dark money" nonprofits, and super PACs. Such coordination is often facilitated through shared vendors and former employees.

Red Curve not only handles finances for these five Trump committees but also for various Trump-aligned super PACs and nonprofits. This payment arrangement began in December 2022, just weeks after Trump declared his intention to run for re-election.

The FEC's Office of General Counsel will now investigate the allegations in the complaint. However, the agency's Republican commissioners have thwarted action in every previous campaign finance case involving Donald Trump.

Internet reacts as CLC filed a complaint

One X user wrote, "A fine example of journalism checking political corruption. Stuff like this is why Trump and other fascists strive to erode public trust in the media, calling journalists the 'enemy of the people,' when in reality they’re defenders of democracy."

Another user remarked, "When oh when does the criminality stop???????? This is endless & l don’t think they’ve even scratched the surface!"

Another user quipped, "He commits crime at such a rate that an entire legal system can't keep up with him."

One user claimed, "When he ran for POTUS he never dreamed he’d win. Now the light shines bright on every crime he commits."

Another X user said, "What difference does it make? The FEC is set up to do absolutely nothing."

Finally, this user tweeted, "So breaking the law again. Color me shocked!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.