Trump campaign still owes El Paso $500K for February rally
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-cam...05.html?bcmt=1
With
President Trump set to visit El Paso, Texas, in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting, the city is re-upping its request for his campaign to pay the bill for the last time he was there.
Trump visited the border city in February for a campaign rally, and
according to a Texas Tribune report the president’s campaign still owes over a half-million dollars for the rally.
“Our resources are really strained right now,” said Alexsandra Annello, a member of the El Paso City Council. “Our police and fire are exhausted, our health department had for three days straight been working with the reunification of families. As you see from the bill, these are the services required for a presidential visit. In addition to financial costs, our community and resources are already strained and do not need this extra burden.”
According to the city, Trump’s campaign owed $470,417.05 for police and public safety services related to the February rally, which was not an official presidential visit. The city sent the Trump
campaign a letter in May prior to the deadline notifying it of the past-due invoice and in June added a one-time 21 percent late fee penalty, bringing the total bill to $569,204.63.
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, an El Paso native who held a counter-rally for his Democratic presidential campaign at the same time as Trump’s event,
paid his $21,021.36 bill just prior to the May 24 deadline.
Trump’s February visit to El Paso was preceded by controversy when locals contested his
State of the Union lie that it had been one of the
country’s “most dangerous cities” prior to a border barrier being constructed.
“It is sad to hear President Trump
state falsehoods about El Paso in an attempt to justify the building of a 2,000-mile wall,” El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles said in a statement. “El Paso was a safe city long before any wall was built.”
Some El Paso officials have urged Trump not to visit, with Rep. Veronica Escobar, the Democrat who represents the area,
saying, “From my perspective, he is not welcome here. He should not come here while we are in mourning. I would encourage the president's staff members to have him do a little self-reflection. I would encourage them to show him his own words and his actions at the rallies.”
O’Rourke, Escobar’s predecessor, echoed her comments.
“This president, who helped create the hatred that made Saturday’s tragedy possible, should not come to El Paso,” O’Rourke tweeted Monday. “We do not need more division. We need to heal. He has no place here.”
now let's see why Trump DOES NOT owe the liberal assholes in El Paso ONE RED CENT.
Ten city governments from Arizona to Pennsylvania say the president’s political committee has stiffed them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Do we love law enforcement or what?” President Donald Trump asked a cheering crowd during his “Make America Great Again” political
rally Oct. 12 in Lebanon, Ohio.
“Thank you, law enforcement!” the president later
told officers, who he called “heroes.”
But when Lebanon City Hall sent Trump’s campaign a
$16,191 invoice for police and other public safety costs associated with his event, Trump didn’t respond. Trump’s campaign likewise ignored Lebanon officials’ follow-up reminders to cover the sum — one rich enough to fund the entire police force for nearly two days in this modest city of 21,000, between Dayton and Cincinnati.
The bill remains unpaid.
“There’s a lot of benefit when a president comes here: economic benefits, more visibility for our community,” Lebanon Mayor Amy Brewer said. “But I would hope and believe the Trump campaign would pay its bills. It’s our taxpayer dollars.”
The red ink Trump poured on Lebanon’s thin blue line is no anomaly.
At least nine other city governments — from
Mesa, Arizona, to
Erie, Pennsylvania — are still waiting for Trump to pay public safety-related invoices they’ve sent his presidential campaign committee in connection with his political rallies, according to interviews with local officials and municipal records obtained by the
Center for Public Integrity.
Some invoices are
three years old. In all, city governments say Trump’s campaign owes them at least $841,219.
Must Trump pay?
That depends on who you ask. The cities are adamant Trump should pay up.
But in many of these cases, there are no signed contracts between the municipal governments and the Trump campaign. The cities dispatched police officers to secure Trump’s events because they believe public safety required it — and the U.S. Secret Service asked for it.
Reached for comment, Trump campaign Director of Operations Sean Dollman referred questions to the campaign’s communications staff, which did not respond to numerous requests.
The Fraternal Order of Police, which endorsed Trump in 2016, has no formal position on whether presidential campaigns should pay municipalities’ bills for police protection, said Chuck Canterbury, the organization’s president. “That is the government’s responsibility in each local area,” he said.
But presidential candidates should consider paying cities’ police bills even if they don’t believe they are legally required to do so, other police advocates said.
“The fiscal impact on local governments, especially during campaign seasons in critical vote states or communities, can be significant,” said Richard Myers, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association and former police chief for several cities, including Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Newport News, Virginia. “When one considers how much money campaigns raise and spend, it does not seem unreasonable to expect some degree of reimbursement for such demands for service.”
no signed agreement, no money. that simple. it is my contention that Beto did not hold a campaign event, he held a PROTEST EVENT which means he had to pay. And get a permit.
Notice no one has shown Beto's signed agreement as a CAMPAIGN EVENT. it was a counter demonstration.He paid because he HAD TO.
Also notice that DC is claiming the same bullshit .. for the 4th of July celebration. did they when Obama held them for 8 years? i highly doubt it. they are doing this only due to Trump. was it for a few tanks and fighters to be in the parade? that's a military thing.
most if not all campaign's DO NOT sign these agreements. so let's see if the press and the cities can show them when the DEMs roll into town, yeah?
BAHHHAAAAAAAAA
Trump campaign still owes El Paso $500K for February rally
