Editorials & Other Articles

LessAspin

(1,158 posts) Sat Aug 22, 2020, 11:50 AM Aug 2020

Mar-a-Lago: the Grift that keeps on grifting

These days, photos from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club are a currency — one with ever increasing value.

Veteran Brian Kolfage, who was charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud, used Mar-a-Lago’s brand in 2019 to bolster the legitimacy of We Build The Wall, a GoFundMe page that ultimately crowdsourced more than $25 million to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

At a February 2019 Mar-a-Lago fundraiser for a Trump fan club called the Trumpettes, Kolfage was a guest of honor, receiving the group’s “American Hero” award and snapping a photo with the president’s son, Eric. That picture was then reposted on an Instagram page for We Build The Wall — with a caption that said nothing about the Trumpettes but did tag Eric Trump prominently.

“Our founder of the major #WeBuildTheWall movement to privately fund the long-promised border wall, Brian Kolfage, was recognized this weekend for this incredible effort with the American Patriot Award at Mar-a-Lago,” the post said, mislabeling the honor.

Mar-a-Lago is not just a club — it’s a way for ambitious self-promoters to put the Trump imprimatur on their businesses, charities and personal brands. While Trump critics have mostly focused on the potential for corruption and influence peddling, members say it does not guarantee meaningful access to the president. The bigger appeal, they say, is the potential for people to make money by using appearances at the club as a way to demonstrate their closeness to Trump — real or puffed up...

A photo shows Guo Wengui walking his dog outside Mar-a-Lago in late December 2018 as anti-Trump protesters pulled up in a boat behind him.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article245132400.html