The Trump campaign doesn't pay its bills. Not even for cops at his MAGA rallies.
by digby
The man never leaves a dime on the sidewalk:
“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.
Of course they aren't taking a position. They love Trump. Their members love Trump. And they are happy to have their own taxpayers pay the freight for their idol, even though his campaign is rolling in money. It's not as if they didn't get paid.
It's the creepiest aspect of the Trump cult in my mind. And it worries me to think what might happen if Trump refuses to leave office, declaring that the vote totals are "fake" becuse his "polls" showed him winning. You know he's capable of it. And it's not hard to imagine that his followers will believe it --- especially these people.
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