Auction Offering Coffee With Ivanka Trump Is Canceled [View all]

[TomCADem]

Source: MSN/NY Times

WASHINGTON — An auction offering a 45-minute private meeting with Ivanka Trump in exchange for a charitable donation was abruptly canceled Friday after questions were raised about the process by ethics experts, who said it appeared to offer bidders special access to the next first family.

The auction had been running for 10 days, drawing 28 bids, the highest of which reached $72,888. The bidders included at least three businessmen who said in interviews that they saw their donation as an opportunity to press Ms. Trump for information about her father’s plans as president or to try to urge Mr. Trump to take up an issue important to them.

All information on the amounts and names of the bidders disappeared from the internet with no notice on Friday afternoon. The winning bidder would have been an organization called Go Hydrogen, although no information could be found about this entity.

The Trump Organization said in a statement that the Trump family had waited to decide what to do about the auction until “our team was aligned on steps moving forward.” The money raised was set to go to the Eric Trump Foundation, run by Ms. Trump’s younger brother, to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee.



Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/auction-offering-coffee-with-ivanka-trump-is-canceled/ar-AAlF7Sc?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UE01DHP

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An auction where access to the President is specifically being offered as a perk, and several bidders planned on using this access to discuss Trump's plans as President?

The Republicans threaten impeach based on a lot of innuendo about the Clinton Foundation, which actually does use money for charitable purposes, rather than as a slush fund. Yet, when it comes to their President, its all good if direct access is put on the auction block. The hypocrisy is amazing. As for the "charitable contribution"? Perhaps Trump has a lawsuit that needs to be settled or a portrait to buy.