We already knew Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi received a $25,000 donation from Donald Trump after dropping an investigation of the fraudulent Trump University, we but didn't know she asked for it.
A spokesman confirmed to the Associated Press that Bondi asked for money several weeks earlier.
Reichelderfer told AP that Bondi spoke with Trump "several weeks" before her office publicly announced it was deliberating whether to join a lawsuit proposed by New York's Democratic attorney general. Reichelfelder said that Bondi was unaware of dozens of consumer complaints received by her office about Trump's real-estate seminars at the time she requested the donation.
"The process took at least several weeks, from the time they spoke to the time they received the contribution," Reichelderfer told AP.
This is not a confirmation that she dropped the investigation in exchange for a donation, but it's obviously suspicious.
I find it hard to believe that Bondi was completely unaware of the case against Trump University when she asked for Trump's money.
Even if that were true, Bondi's office wants us to believe that she asked for Trump's money and, within the span of a few weeks, learned about the case for the first time and then decided there wasn't enough evidence to proceed against Trump University.
If you suppose that's also true, as improbable as it sounds, it tells us Bondi is very bad at her job. Documents unsealed by Judge Gonzalo Curiel have revealed very damning evidence against Donald Trump and his sham university, such as their urging of prospective students to inflate their wealth and take on more credit card debt in what may amount to bank fraud.
It's worth noting that Trump's donation also may have been illegal.
The money came from a Trump family foundation in apparent violation of rules surrounding political activities by charities. A political group backing Bondi's re-election, called And Justice for All, reported receiving the check Sept. 17, 2013 — four days after Bondi's office publicly announced she was considering joining a New York state probe of Trump University's activities, according to a 2013 report in the Orlando Sentinel.
Justice for All. Except Trump.