A Reporter Goes in Search of Trump's Million Dollar Donation to Vets

Admittedly, Jan. 28 feels like decades ago if we're counting by 2016 election years, but you might recall Donald Trump declining to participate in a Fox News debate rematch with moderator Megyn Kelly. Trump made a big ado of the alternate programming he was providing that night—a rally intended to raise money for veterans. The fundraiser raised millions, but just how many millions were raised, and disbursed, and by whom and to whom, was a giant narrative knot reporters were trying to untangle months later. The weekend attempts at detangling of course drew a rebuke from Trump on Monday. Blah blah blah negative press who will twist everything, complained Trump as he continued to inhabit a world in which he expected his unsubstantiated statements, which he refused to corroborate, to be believed, just because. One of the unaccounted for pieces of the donation puzzle was a donation of $1 million that reportedly came from Trump himself. Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold decided to, you know, report, and figure out what happened to the money. He took his search to Twitter yesterday, when he began contacting veterans and veterans groups to see if anyone had received some of that Trump million. 2 questions: 1. How much, exactly, was raised? 2. To which groups did you give the $1M donation of personal money? https://t.co/v5CgOJJOQq — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 I'm still looking for this $1M that @realdonaldtrump says he gave vets out of his own pocket. If you got any, DM me. https://t.co/v5CgOJJOQq — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 His tweets linked back to a tweet Trump had made about his $1 million dollar donation. While under no obligation to do so, I have raised between 5 & 6 million dollars, including 1million dollars from me, for our VETERANS. Nice! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2016 I'm still looking for this $1M that @realdonaldtrump says he gave vets out of his own pocket. If you got any, DM me. https://t.co/v5CgOJJOQq — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 Fahrenthold also laid out what he knew at that point: 1/ This is a good time for a recap of what we know about @realdonaldtrump's Jan. 28 fundraiser in Iowa... https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 2/ First and foremost, it did raise at least $3.1M for veterans. We know there was $3.1M b/c vets groups got it https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 3/ But there are still questions about the total $$ raised -- and what @realdonaldtrump gave from his own pocket. https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 4/ For instance, @realdonaldtrump said he'd raised $6M. Last week, his campaign mgr told me it was less --abt $4.5M https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 5/ So how did $6M turn into $4.5M? @realdonaldtrump blamed unnamed donors who backed out. https://t.co/QPDXNBenTO https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 6/ Since then, campaign has said it's not $4.5M. @realdonaldtrump now says it's between $5M and $6M. https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 7/ @realdonaldtrump has not identified which donors backed out. He mentioned 9 donors onstage, including himself. https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 8/ I've found evidence -- from vets groups, from donors, or from Trump staff--that at least 7 of the 9 paid up. https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 9/ Together, those 7 gave $3.75M. @realdonaldtrump's website said online donors gave $670K, which adds up to $4.45M. https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 10/ The other question: to whom did @realdonaldtrump give the $1M he pledged? https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 11/ @realDonaldTrump says his $ has been given, but not to whom. I've been trying to find the vets groups who got it https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 12/ Which, again -- if you received any of this $1M of Trump's personal money, DM me. https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 13/ Bottom line: @realdonaldtrump fundraiser was a huge boost for the vets grps who got donations as a result. https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 14/...But there are still questions about how much he raised, and how @realdonaldtrump met his personal $1M pledge https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 15/ @realdonaldtrump wants to use his skills as a leader of big organizations to fix the VA... https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 16/ So please keep reading... https://t.co/QPDXNBenTO https://t.co/eL01y8zgYf — David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) May 24, 2016 Fahrenthold followed up today with an explainer of the facts as they stood. Whereabouts of that $1 million? Still largely unknown. Update, 5/25: Fahrenthold updated his own explainer, writing, "On Tuesday afternoon, Trump told The Washington Post that he had made good on a promise to give $1 million to veterans groups -- but he had only done it on Monday night, under increasing media scrutiny." And where is that money going? On Monday night, Trump called the home of James Kallstrom, a retired FBI official who is chairman of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. That foundation, which helps the families of fallen Marines and federal law-enforcement officers, has received donations in the past from Trump's personal foundation. Trump said he would be making a $1 million donation, giving his entire gift to a single charity. [Last week, Trump's campaign manager had said the money had already been spent. That turned out not to be true.] We are still waiting for confirmation from the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation that Trump's money has been transferred, and that the money indeed came from Trump's personal fortune.

Fishbowl

A Reporter Goes in Search of Trump's Million Dollar Donation to Vets

David Fahrenthold looks for answers.

Corinne Grinapol

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Corinne Grinapol