Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign used pre-checked boxes and obscure design on fundraising emails to wring millions of dollars out of unwitting supporters, detonating a “money bomb”…The practice, pursued by the campaign and WinRed, a for-profit company, was detailed in an extensive report by the New York Times on Saturday. It is legal, but Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, told the paper it was “unfair, unethical and inappropriate”…
The “money bomb” did not bring victory, as Trump lost the electoral college by 306 votes to 232. He also lost the popular vote by more than 7 million ballots…
The Times reported that the practice was used for the Georgia Senate runoffs in January and continues to be used by the Republican party…It also detailed distressing experiences affecting Trump donors hit by surprise deductions and consequent trouble with banks and credit card companies.
I don’t know why the courts haven’t (yet) ruled this kind of activity as criminal fraud. Trump and his Republican bubbas had to refund over $64 million after the voting season ended. No one did any jail time.
