In a beautifully poetic development, it would appear Trump supporters who are most dedicated to the delusion are now being duped by way of some "election defense fund" fine print.
Speaking with the Associated Press this week, Paul S. Ryan—who serves as VP of policy and litigation at the nonprofit watchdog organization Common Cause—made clear the sort of supporters-targeting deception many believe is at the heart of Trump's continued efforts to undermine faith in the election.
"This is a slush fund," Ryan, who previously worked as Deputy Executive Director of the Campaign Legal Center and has an extended campaign finance history, said. "That's the bottom line. Trump may just continue to string out this meritless litigation in order to fleece his own supporters of their money and use it in the coming years to pad his own lifestyle while teasing a 2024 candidacy."
The report states that the so-called election defense fund sees 60 percent of a donation going to the recently launched Save America PAC, while the next 40 percent is tossed over to "an RNC account." Money doesn't actually hit legal-related accounts for Trump and the RNC, per the report, until maximum contribution limits for each group are reached by a donor.
As a rep for the Biden team noted in response to these findings, this facet of Trump's post-election strategy isn't exactly a surprise. Instead, spokesperson Andrew Bates said, "it's fitting to learn" that the litany of repeatedly threatened lawsuits "were never engineered to succeed."
In short, those criticizing Trump's election defense fund tactics after having completed a deep-dive on the fine print are trying to get the word out to vulnerable supporters that—as outlined in Wednesday's AP report—Trump and his family are in position to see financial benefits in connection with the effort.
The Biden-Harris team, meanwhile, was recently reported to be considering legal action (among other options) over delays from the Trump administration related to the usual processes of a transition of power.
