United States veterans refuse Donald Trump bribe

This video from the USA says about itself:

24 December 2015

Here comes Republi-Claus, full of goodwill and bearing gifts “for each boy and girl, and mommy and daddy, too: AR-15s and a gun lobbyist for you!”

Poking a little holiday fun at the GOP (as well as the Democrats) and taking the edge off an already feisty election cycle, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mark Fiore has brought these animated good tidings to add a bit of cheek and a dash of spark to your holiday season.

From the Daily Beast in the USA:

COURAGE NOT FOR HIRE

02.07.16 3:25 AM ET

Exclusive: Trump Tried to Pay Vets To Be Props

Trump’s campaign asked a small veterans’ charity to stand on stage with the mogul at a rally to receive a six-figure check. The charity took a pass.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Donald Trump wanted a small veterans‘ charity to be his political prop. They said no.

Liberty House is a scrappy veterans group in New Hampshire, with a small, $300,000 annual budget—one of the 22 organizations chosen to benefit from Trump’s multimillion-dollar fundraiser for vets.

On Friday, Liberty House executive director Keith Howard received a call from a Trump campaign staffer, who conveyed that Trump would like to publicly present them with a six-figure check at a Londonderry rally on Monday, right before the Granite State primary.

It’s an enormous amount of money for a small charity. But Howard said he wouldn’t do it—risking the entire, substantial donation on a point of principle.

Howard, a 57-year-old Army vet, objected to the use of veterans for political purposes. He doesn’t believe that his charity—which clothes the homeless, feeds the needy, and provides housing to 10 formerly homeless vets—should be presented with money by a political candidate at a political rally.

“This is not directed at the Trump campaign,” Howard said. “This is about any campaign.”

Plus, Howard believed appearing at a political rally could jeopardize his group’s nonprofit status—something a call to an expert in the state attorney general’s office confirmed. And he found it strange that the call was coming from a Trump campaign staffer, rather than someone related to the foundation that raised money for veterans.

One campaign legal expert said the interaction between Trump’s campaign and the Donald J. Trump Foundation was a serious issue.

“The campaign utilizing the foundation to help support and promote campaign events is a potential legal problem for both the campaign and the Trump Foundation,” said Larry Noble, general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center.

The value of the work the foundation did to assist the campaign event could be considered an illegal campaign contribution. And the foundation is barred from getting involved in political activity, such as supporting a campaign rally, he continued. “Neither the foundation nor other charities should be working hand-in-hand with the campaign to promote Trump’s campaign events.”

Howard called the Trump staffer back Friday afternoon: “This is not the right thing to be doing,” he said. Howard suggested that someone to drop by the house for a lower-key check dropoff, or even mail the check.

Now, to be clear, Howard has no problem taking money from Trump’s fundraising.

“After we said that we would take the money, I got between 15 to 20 emails calling me a whore, a prostitute, and saying that I had sold out. I feel very comfortable with what we’re doing, with taking money to help homeless veterans.” Howard said. “But I’ll be god damned if I, in any way, support a political candidate or make a campaign appearance with any candidates. We stand for doing the right thing.”

On Saturday afternoon, the Trump campaign relented.

Trump supporter and New Hampshire State Rep. Al Baldasaro called Howard, telling him the mogul would present the check to Baldasaro, himself a vet. …

Howard speaks from experience, as a recovering alcoholic and vet himself who has struggled with homelessness.

Ultimately, Howard is willing to put money on the line, challenging one of America’s most powerful political figures and businessmen, to stand for what he believes in.

During a debate Saturday night in New Hampshire, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, billionaire Donald Trump, backed the use of waterboarding and even more severe methods of torture as part of the US government’s “War on Terror”: here.

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