Possible pay-to-play scheme for ambassador role in Trump administration uncovered by CBS News

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doug-manchester-possible-pay-to-play-scheme-for-ambassador-role-in-trump-administration-uncovered/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=77245752

CBS NEWS November 18, 2019, 7:39 AM

A CBS News investigation has uncovered a possible pay-for-play scheme involving the Republican National Committee and President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to the Bahamas. Emails obtained by CBS News show the nominee, San Diego billionaire Doug Manchester, was asked by the RNC to donate half a million dollars as his confirmation in the Senate hung in the balance, chief investigative correspondent Jim Axelrod reports.

When Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Bahamas in September, Manchester wanted to help. So the San Diego real estate developer, who prefers the nickname "Papa Doug," loaded up his private jet with supplies and headed for the hard-hit Caribbean country where he owned a home – and hoped to soon be serving as U.S. ambassador.

A Trump supporter, Manchester donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. He was offered the Bahamas post the day after Mr. Trump was sworn in. Manchester said Trump told him, "I should probably be the ambassador to the Bahamas and you should be president."

Then, for two and a half years, Manchester's nomination stalled in the Senate.

His Bahamas relief trip caught the attention of the President. Trump tweeted, "I would also like to thank 'Papa' Doug Manchester, hopefully the next Ambassador to the Bahamas, for the incredible amount of time, money and passion he has spent on helping to bring safety to the Bahamas."

Three days after the tweet, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel hit up Manchester for a donation. It was no small sum. In an email, obtained exclusively by CBS News, she asked Manchester, "Would you consider putting together $500,000 worth of contributions from your family to ensure we hit our ambitious fundraising goal?"

"Did you feel like they were putting the arm on you?" Axelrod asked.

"No, I didn't. That's part of politics. It's unbelievable. You give and you give and you give and you give some more and more and more," Manchester said.

</snip>

Another day, another crime...

[tblue37]

1. K&R for visibility. nt

[mucifer]

2. I always thought certain ambassadorships were given to big donors in past administrations

I thought this was a normal thing. It's still wrong.

[PSPS]

3. Yes, it has been part of the spoils system for a very long time.

[Farmer-Rick]

29. Except no one paid up before their senate confirmation. That is where the GOP has gone off the rails

Yeah, if you are a big donor you have a better chance at living, at government expense with staff and servants, in a great place with a government salary and being called an ambassador.

But to push for more money as the Senate is considering his appointment? That is straight up pay to play.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. To a degree, they are. I think the problem in this case was his email to senators:

From the article:

<snip>

It is a bipartisan tradition for presidents to give about a third of ambassadorships to political supporters. A CBS News investigation found political supporters made up nearly half of Trump's picks.

<snip>

Former Senator Bob Corker, who was the chair of the Senate's foreign relations committee before he retired in January, held up Manchester's nomination.

"We had concerns about judgment, about demeanor, about just the whole reason for taking the job," Corker said.

He found McDaniel's fundraising pitch problematic. "The timing of that request obviously was not appropriate," he said.

Even worse, he said, was Manchester's response. His big mistake was copying staffers of two senators who controlled his nomination, Kentucky's Rand Paul and Idaho's Jim Risch, alerting them to his willingness to donate more after confirmation.

"I can only tell you that if I received an email like that, there would have been a five-bell alarm that went off," Corker said.

</snip>

[mucifer]

8. But, if in my little brain I remember hearing for many years that big donors get

ambassadorships, it's not something that will stick as far as what we need to get him out. That said, there is plenty of evidence out there that should get him out.

[lagomorph777]

14. The new element here is that it exposes PARTY corruption, not just Trump corruption.

This could be leveraged to damage the GOP's Senate majority.

[hughee99]

11. While it has been pretty common in previous administrations,

It doesn’t mean we can’t charge Trump with it.

On the other hand, it sort of makes the impeachment case look week if some of the charges are for things that many past administrations also did. I guess they could always argue it’s different when Trump did it.

[getagrip_already]

18. THIS wasn't common...

Sure, donor's got to the top of the list for appointments. But the dems NEVER hit up someone in confirmation for a huge payout to get final approval.

That is a huge distinction. That, in a word, is criminal.

[uponit7771]

20. +1

[hughee99]

23. Actually, we don't know that.

We know that big donors often get ambassadorships, but we have no idea if anyone else was shaken down for money from previous administrations.

[Farmer-Rick]

31. And we don't know if they wear red socks

To say it might have happened before, but we don't know, is vague and broad. Anything might have happened before.

It might have happened that other presidents had wives who were sex workers. Or other presidents might have obstructed justice or withheld congress approved foreign aid to get at political rivals. Other presidents might have slept with porn stars and did the bidding of shorty Putin. But we have no evidence of other presidents doing this except for Trumpy Dumpy.

[hughee99]

36. I wasn't the one who asserted, as fact, that it didn't happen before.

[Major Nikon]

24. Not exactly

It's not uncommon, but the difference is they weren't asked to provide large donations BEFORE they were appointed.

It was more like pay and you might get to play, but you probably won't. This is straight up pay-to-play.

[Farmer-Rick]

28. It's not that he is a big Donor.....It is that he had to pay up again to get the federal position.

He had to make another down payment to the party to get the federal job. He is clearly straight up buying a position in our federal government.

You could say that is what any big donor does but many a donor has been turned down and Not got his federal job he so so really wanted.

So yeah, if you want to be ambassador, live in a great place, with staff and servants at government expense with a government funded salary, being a big donor helps. But paying up front before a senate confirmation is straight up buying our federal government.

[spanone]

5. ...and how many ambassadors do we have?

[James48]

15. Here is the CURRENT LIST OF AMBASSADORS_ AND WHETHER THEY ARE CAREER FOREIGN SERVICE, or POLITICAL

or political appointments.

It is common for political appointments to change when President's change. It is very UNCOMMON for a Career Foreign Service Ambassador to be asked to step down before their appointment expires. That normally doesn't happen, short of a major problem.

https://afsa.org/list-ambassadorial-appointments

[spanone]

17. 👍🏼

[DFW]

6. Ambassadorships used to be divided up

Some were for career Foreign Service officials or distinguished people with credentials (e.g. Mike Mansfield in Japan), especially sensitive positions, like Russia or China. Some were bones thrown to big donors (Bahamas, Fiji, etc.). A good friend of mine was a foreign service officer from one of America's best friends in NATO. He had served his country around the world, including the USA. He was representing his country as their ambassador to France when Bush Jr. came in, and appointed some big money donor as US ambassador to France. The guy was an oaf, a real insult to the French, spoke not a word of French, and his wife equally boorish, always insisting that he get a photo of himself and Bush to join the others on his piano, even though he tried explaining to her (without success) that he only kept photos there of heads of state under which he had actually served, which is why there was a photo of him with Bill Clinton and not W. She didn't get it.

[Roland99]

7. Ronna McDaniel in a scandal??

Ah ha ha ha ha ha

[Fritz Walter]

9. No worries, Papa Doc!

...er, I mean "Papa Doug."
You'll get it back, and then some. All you have to do is tell the SoS that your property in the Bahamas should be designated as the ambassador's residence. And it will need upgrades and improvements to the tune of at least seven-figures.

[Fla Dem]

10. As much as I don't like the idea of donors getting Ambassador spots, it's happened for a long time.

Given the information here, this doesn't seem to rise to a level of criminality. Just another donor with deep pockets buying an Ambassadorship.

[getagrip_already]

19. that is a crime....

You can't extort money from someone to get a job. You can't do it at the state level, and you can't do it at the federal level.

It is a crime in all states as well in the federal codes.

[Major Nikon]

33. Not the same thing

It's one thing when you give a government job to someone who helped you in your campaign. It's quite another to solicit donations from somebody as a condition of getting a government job.

[Fla Dem]

35. Thanks for the clarification. It was the former I was speaking about.

Clearly if someone says I will give you something of value if you do something for me, is clearly a bribe, oh wait a minute.....Ukraine and military aid. Yes I see how that all comes together.

[RainCaster]

12. It's not a crime when the GOP does it

That's how they do business.

[bucolic_frolic]

13. Government as the sum total of private interests takes a nosedive

That's how Trump has ruled, by the policy desires of his wealthy cronies including himself and nothing else.

Social contract, common good, commonwealth, state, rule of law, consensus have all gone out the window!

[James48]

16. The current list of Ambassadors-

Post Ambassador Career or Political? Nominated Confirmed
Afghanistan John R. Bass Career 9/28/17
African Union Jessica Lapenn Career 8/1/19
Albania NOMINATED: Yuri Kim Career 7/8/19
Algeria John Desrocher Career 8/3/17
Angola Nina Maria Fite Career 11/2/17
Argentina Edward C. Prado Political 3/22/18
Armenia Lynne M. Tracy Career 1/2/19
ASEAN NOMINATED: John Linder Political 3/12/19
Australia Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr. Political 1/2/19
Austria Trevor Traina Political 3/22/18
Azerbaijan Earle D. 'Lee' Litzenberger Career 1/2/19
Bahamas VACANT
Bahrain Justin Siberell Career 9/28/17
Bangladesh Earl Robert Miller Career 10/12/18
Barbados NOMINATED: Leandro Rizzuto Political 1/16/19
Belarus VACANT*
Belgium Ronald Gidwitz Political 6/28/18
Belize VACANT
Benin Patricia Mahoney Career 1/2/19
Bolivia VACANT*
Bosnia and Herzegovina Eric George Nelson Career 1/2/19
Botswana Craig Lewis Cloud Career 1/2/19
Brazil NOMINATED: Todd C. Chapman Career 10/31/19
Brunei Darussalam Matthew J. Matthews Career 1/2/19
Bulgaria Herro Mustafa Career 9/26/19
Burkina Faso NOMINATED: Sandra E. Clark Career 9/9/19
Burma Scot Marciel Career 2/9/16
Burundi VACANT
Cabo Verde John Jefferson Daigle Career 5/23/19
Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy Career 8/1/19
Cameroon Peter Barlerin Career 11/2/17
Canada VACANT
Central African Republic Lucy Tamlyn Career 1/2/19
Chad NOMINATED: Steven C. Koutsis Career 8/1/19
Chile NOMINATED: Leora R. Levy Political 10/15/19
China Terry Branstad Political 5/22/17
Colombia Philip S. Goldberg Career 8/1/19
Congo (DR) Michael A. Hammer Career 9/6/18
Congo (Republic of) Todd Haskell Career 5/18/17
Costa Rica Sharon Day Political 8/3/17
Côte d'Ivoire Richard K. Bell Career 8/1/19
Croatia W. Robert Kohorst Political 11/2/17
Cuba VACANT
Cyprus Judith Garber Career 1/2/19
Czech Republic Stephen B. King Political 10/5/17
Denmark Carla Sands Political 11/2/17
Djibouti Larry André Career 11/2/17
Dominican Republic Robin Bernstein Political 6/28/18
Ecuador Michael J. Fitzpatrick Career 5/23/19
Egypt Jonathan R. Cohen Career 8/1/19
El Salvador Ronald D. Johnson Political 6/27/19
Equatorial Guinea Susan N. Stevenson Career 1/2/19
Eritrea VACANT*
Estonia NOMINATED: William E. Grayson Political 10/15/19
Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Lisa J. Peterson Career 11/19/15
Ethiopia Michael Raynor Career 8/3/17
European Union Gordon Sondland Political 6/28/18
Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, & Tuvalu Joseph Cella Political 9/24/19
Finland Robert Frank Pence Political 3/22/18
France & Monaco Jamie McCourt Political 11/2/17
Gabon and São Tomé & Príncipe VACANT Career 2/15/18
The Gambia Richard C. 'Carl' Paschall III Career 1/2/19
Georgia NOMINATED: Kelly C. Degnan Career 9/9/19
Germany Richard Grenell Political 4/26/18
Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan Career 9/6/18
Greece Geoffrey R. Pyatt Career 7/14/16
Guatemala Luis Arreaga Career 8/3/17
Guinea Simon Henshaw Career 1/2/19
Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch Career 1/2/19
Haiti Michele Jeanne Sison Career 11/2/17
Holy See Callista Gingrich Political 10/16/17
Honduras VACANT
Hungary David B. Cornstein Political 5/24/18
ICAO Thomas Carter Political 11/2/17
Iceland Jeffrey Ross Gunter Political 5/23/19
India Kenneth Juster Political 11/2/17
Indonesia NOMINATED: Sung Y. Kim Career 7/17/19
Iraq Matthew Tueller Career 5/16/19
Ireland Edward F. Crawford Political 6/13/19
Israel David Friedman Political 3/23/17
Italy & San Marino Lewis Eisenberg Political 8/3/17
Jamaica Donald Ray Tapia Political 7/18/19
Japan VACANT
Jordan VACANT
Kazakhstan William Moser Career 1/2/19
Kenya Kyle McCarter Political 1/2/19
Kosovo Philip Kosnett Career 9/6/18
Kuwait NOMINATED: Alina Romanowski Political/CS 8/1/19
Kyrgyz Republic Donald Lu Career 9/6/18
Laos NOMINATED: Peter M. Haymond Career 9/9/19
Latvia John Leslie Carwile Career 9/26/19
Lebanon NOMINATED: Dorothy Shea Career 10/17/19
Lesotho Rebecca Eliza Gonzales Career 11/16/17
Liberia Christine Ann Elder Career 5/17/16
Libya Richard Norland Career 8/1/19
Lithuania NOMINATED: Robert S. Gilchrist Career 8/1/19
Luxembourg J. Randolph Evans Political 5/24/18
Madagascar & Comoros Michael P. Pelletier Career 1/2/19
Malawi Robert K. Scott Career 4/11/19
Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir Career 12/9/16
Mali Dennis B. Hankins Career 1/2/19
Malta NOMINATED: Christine Toretti Political 1/16/19
Marshall Islands NOMINATED: Roxanne Cabral Career 5/2/19
Mauritania Michael Dodman Career 11/2/17
Mauritius & Seychelles David Dale Reimer Career 11/2/17
Mexico Christopher Landau Political 8/1/19
Micronesia NOMINATED: Carmen G. Cantor Political/CS 7/17/19
Moldova Dereck J. Hogan Career 9/6/18
Mongolia Michael S. Klecheski Career 1/2/19
Montenegro Judy Rising Reinke Career 9/6/18
Morocco NOMINATED: David T. Fischer Political 1/16/19
Mozambique Dennis W. Hearne Career 1/2/19
Namibia Lisa A. Johnson Career 11/16/17
NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison Political 8/3/17
Nepal Randy W. Berry Career 9/6/18
Netherlands Peter Hoekstra Political 11/9/17
New Zealand & Samoa Scott Brown Political 6/8/17
Nicaragua Kevin K. Sullivan Career 10/11/18
Niger Eric Whitaker Career 11/2/17
Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard Career 8/1/19
North Macedonia Kate Marie Byrnes Career 5/23/19
Norway Kenneth J. Braithwaite Political 12/21/17
OAS Carlos Trujillo Political 3/22/18
OECD NOMINATED: Pamela Bates Political 1/16/19
Oman NOMINATED: Leslie M. Tsou Career 6/24/19
OPCW NOMINATED: Joseph Manso Career 10/17/19
OSCE James S. Gilmore Political 5/23/19
Pakistan VACANT
Palau NOMINATED: John Hennessey-Niland Career 10/15/19
Panama VACANT
Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands & Vanuatu Erin Elizabeth McKee Career 9/26/19
Paraguay M. Lee McClenny Career 12/21/17
Peru Krishna Urs Career 8/3/17
Philippines VACANT
Poland Georgette Mosbacher Political 7/12/18
Portugal George E. Glass Political 8/3/17
Qatar VACANT
Romania NOMINATED: Adrian Zuckerman Political 1/16/19
Russia NOMINATED: John J. Sullivan Political 10/17/19
Rwanda Peter Hendrick Vrooman Career 2/15/18
Saudi Arabia John Abizaid Political 4/10/19
Senegal & Guinea-Bissau Tulinabo Salama Mushingi Career 5/18/17
Serbia Anthony F. Godfrey Career 9/26/19
Sierra Leone Maria Brewer Career 8/3/17
Singapore NOMINATED: Barbera Hale Thornhill Political 10/15/19
Slovakia Bridget A. Brink Career 5/23/19
Somalia Donald Yamamoto Career 10/11/18
Slovenia Lynda Blanchard Political 7/18/19
South Africa Lana J. Marks Political 9/26/19
South Korea Harry B. Harris, Jr. Political 6/28/18
South Sudan Thomas Hushek Career 4/26/18
Spain & Andorra Richard Duke Buchan III Political 11/2/17
Sri Lanka & Maldives Alaina Teplitz Career 9/6/18
Sudan VACANT*
Suriname Karen Lynn Williams Career 10/11/18
Sweden Kenneth Howery Political 9/17/19
Switzerland & Liechtenstein Edward T. McMullen, Jr. Political 11/2/17
Syria VACANT*
Tajikistan John Mark Pommersheim Career 1/2/19
Tanzania NOMINATED: Donald Wright Political/CS 10/15/19
Thailand NOMINATED: Michael G. DeSombre Political 7/17/19
Timor-Leste Kathleen Fitzpatrick Career 11/2/17
Togo Eric W. Stromayer Career 1/2/19
Trinidad and Tobago Joseph Mondello Political 6/28/18
Tunisia Donald A. Blome Career 1/2/19
Turkey David M. Satterfield Career 6/27/19
Turkmenistan Matthew S. Klimow Political/CS 5/23/19
Uganda NOMINATED: Natalie E. Brown Career 8/1/19
Ukraine VACANT
United Arab Emirates John Rakolta Jr. Political 9/17/19
United Kingdom Robert Wood Johnson IV Political 8/3/17
United Nations Kelly Knight Craft Political 7/31/19
UN / Conf. on Disarmament Robert A. Wood Career 7/15/14
UN / Deputy Representative VACANT
UN / Economic & Social Council VACANT
UN / Geneva NOMINATED: Andrew Bremberg Political 1/16/19
UN / Human Rights Council (U.S. withdrew on 6/19/18) VACANT
UN / Management & Reform Cherith Norman Chalet Political 9/12/18
UN / Political Affairs VACANT
UN / Rome Kip Tom Political 4/11/19
UN / Vienna Jackie Wolcott Political 9/24/18
UNESCO (U.S. withdrew on 12/31/18) VACANT
Uruguay Kenneth George Political 8/1/19
Uzbekistan Daniel Rosenblum Political/CS 4/11/19
Venezuela VACANT*
Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink Career 10/26/17
Yemen Christopher P. Henzel Career 1/2/19
Zambia Daniel L. Foote Career 11/2/17
Zimbabwe Brian Nichols Career 6/28/18
* denotes that the U.S. does not currently exchange Ambassadors with that country

[Nevilledog]

21. I think we're missing the issue here....

While I do not totally agree with the practice, Ambassadors have been given their positions because they have donated (past tense) large amounts of money. The important aspect might be DONATED. What we have with trump seems to be to keep squeezing the mark after they've been told they'll get the position to get even MORE money.

[gopiscrap]

22. Wow----nothing but a bunch of dirty mother fuckers

[aggiesal]

25. Particularly interesting is the timing ...

Doug Manchester's nomination was withdrawn from Ambassador to The Bahamas
just 5 days ago on November 13, 2019.

Maybe someone knew this story was about to hit the newsstands?

[Nitram]

26. Chalk up another impeachable offense.

[wiggs]

27. Same all over the world, including the US. WH has been the crime family's personal piggybank. nt

[sdfernando]

30. I hate what Manchester is doing to the San Diego Waterfront

He already built monstrous hotels along the bay. Now he is in the process of kicking the tenants out of Sea Port Village, a bayside shopping and eating area with great shops walking paths, to raise the site and build.....you guessed it....more monstrous hotels....and in the process blocking the bay views of hundreds, if not thousands of homeowners nearby.

I wish our city council wasn't so friendly to developers.

[Dennis Donovan]

32. Chris Murphy: Worth paying attention to this - The corruption is endless

Link to tweet

Chris Murphy ✔ @ChrisMurphyCT

Worth paying attention to this:

The RNC requested $500,000 from “Papa Doug”, the President’s embattled nominee to the Bahamas while his nomination was in peril. “Papa Doug” told the RNC that if Trump pushed his nomination through, he would pay up.

The corruption is endless.

CBS This Morning ✔ @CBSThisMorning

A @CBSNews investigation has uncovered a possible pay-for-play scheme involving the Republican National Committee and President Trump's nominee for ambassador to the Bahamas.
https://cbsn.ws/2qpRfq7

9:26 AM - Nov 18, 2019

[jcgoldie]

34. It occurs to me that the reason Trump calls his dealings with Ukraine "perfect"...

Is because literally EVERYTHING he does involves quid pro quo. It's all transactional. He has zero understanding of public service, every single thing he has done since he became president and before involves "what are you gonna do for me?"

[unitedwethrive]

37. Can we just assume that everything this administration does is slimy?

There will be criminal stories coming out of this White House for decades to come. As each staff member dies, expect a multitude of deathbed confessions.