Trump campaign disavows ‘dishonest’ fundraising groups

President Trump’s reelection campaign on Tuesday denounced “dishonest fundraising groups” and called for an investigation into organizations using the president’s name to scam supporters.

“There is no excuse for any group, including ones run by people who claim to be part of our ‘coalition,’ to suggest they directly support President Trump’s re-election or any other candidates, when in fact their actions show they are interested in filling their own pockets with money from innocent Americans’ paychecks, and sadly, retirements,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.

{mosads}”We encourage the appropriate authorities to investigate all alleged scam groups for potential illegal activities,” the campaign added.

The scathing statement came in the wake of an Axios report that found former Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie raised millions of dollars ostensibly to support candidates aligned with the president, but that much of the money covered additional fundraising and administrative costs like Bossie’s salary.

The campaign’s statement did not mention Bossie or any “dishonest” groups by name.

Axios reported on Sunday that Bossie sent out mailers for his group, The Presidential Coalition, that highlighted his relationship with the president in seeking donations.

But the news outlet found that the group put just $425,442 of the $15.4 million it spent during 2017 and 2018 toward donations to candidates, political committees or state-level candidate ads.

Bossie ripped the story in a statement to Axios, calling it “fake news brought to you by a collaboration of the biased liberal media and unabashed left-wing activists.”

Bossie has remained close with Trump, despite not working in the White House. He was briefly considered to be a candidate for chief of staff when John Kelly left the post late last year.

The Trump campaign clarified that there are four fundraising organizations authorized by the president or the Republican National Committee (RNC), as well as one approved outside fundraising group run by the president’s allies. They are the campaign itself, the RNC, the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, Trump Victory and super PAC America First Action.