>>> I’LL RUSH TO THE END AND
TELL YOU I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG
IT WILL TAKE FOR THIS BECOME A
BIG CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OR A
CRIMINAL FRAUD INFORMATION.
BUT THE STORY BEGS FOR BOTH OR
EITHER OF THESE.
SHANE GOLDMACHER TALKING ABOUT
HOW THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN RAN A
$100 MILLION SCAM ON ITS OWN
SUPPORTERS LAST YEAR, DUPING
THEM INTO REPEATED PAYMENTS THEY
NEVER INTENDED TO MAKE.
RESULTING IN THOUSANDS OF FRAUD
CLAIMS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE THEIR MONEY WENT.
JOINING US NOW, SHANE
GOLDMACHER, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS
HELPFUL IN YOUR REPORTING, THIS
WAS SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A
BIGGER PROBLEM THAN YOU WOULD
SEE IN OTHER CAMPAIGNS.
LOTS OF CAMPAIGNS HAVE TO RETURN
DONOR MONEY FOR VARIOUS MEANS.
IT WAS ALMOST A QUALITATIVELY
DIFFERENT APPROACH FOR TRYING TO
RELIEVE THEIR DONORS OF MONEY
THAT DONORS DID NOT INTEND TO
GIVE.
IS THAT FAIR?
>> YOU CAN LOOK AT THE REFUND
DATA.
IT TELLS THIS WHOLE STORY.
AT THE BEGINNING OF 2020, BEFORE
THEY STARTED DEPLOYING THESE
BOXES AND BEFORE THEY MADE THEM
WEEKLY, BEFORE THEY ADDED A
SECOND CHECK BOX, AND BEFORE
THEY OBSCURED THE LANGUAGE, THE
REFUND BETWEEN THE BIDEN AND
TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS ALMOST THE
SAME.
IN FACT, THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN RATE
WAS SLIGHTLY HIGHER.
BUT THEN, AFTER, THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN RATE FROM 2% TO 12% IN
THE LAST HALF OF LAST YEAR.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, 1 OUT OF
EVERY $10 THAT PEOPLE DONATED TO
DONALD TRUMP ONLINE WAS REFUNDED
BACK TO DONORS.
NOT ALL OF THOSE ARE FRAUD
CLAIMS WHERE PEOPLE SAID THIS
WAS A SCAM.
BUT A GOOD CHUNK OF IT IS.
WHEN I WENT TO THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN AND TOLD THEM THE
FINDINGS, THATEY SAID, LOOK, LES
THAN 1% OF DONORS FORMALLY
COMPLAINED TO THEIR CREDIT CARD.
THAT’S STILL A VERY LARGE
NUMBER.
BECAUSE WIN RED AND THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN GENERALLY TRIED TO GIVE
PEOPLE BACK THEIR MONEY.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT CALLED
THEIR CREDIT CARD AND SAID, I’VE
BEEN A VICTIM OF SOMETHING.
I TALKED TO NUMEROUS OFFICIALS
AT BANKS WHO SAID THERE WAS A
SURGE OF FRAUD COMPLAINTS AROUND
THE ELECTION AND SHORTLY AFTER.
>> WHEN THEY HAD TO REFUND THIS
MONEY, DID THEY REFUND IT WITH
INTEREST?
BECAUSE THEY HAD THE MONEY AND
WERE ABLE TO USE IT FOR CAMPAIGN
PURPOSES BEFORE THEY REFUNDED
IT.
WERE THEY IN EFFECT TAKING
INTEREST FREE LOANS FROM THEIR
DONORS?
>> I’VE NOT HEARD OF ANYONE WHO
GOT THEIR MONEY BACK WITH
INTEREST.
AND MORE THAN JUST AN INTEREST
FREE LOAN FROM SUPPORTERS, THIS
WAS MONEY TO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
WHEN THEY NEEDED IT.
IN THE FINAL WEEKS OF THE
ELECTION, THEY HAD FAR MORE
TELEVISION ADS RESERVED THAN
THEY HAD MONEY IN THE BANK.
SO BY COLLECTING THEM BEFORE THE
ELECTION AND IN MANY CASES
REFUNDING THEM AFTER THE
ELECTION, THEY HAD THE MONEY
WHEN THEY NEEDED IT.
AND TRUMP CONTINUED TO RAISE
TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
AFTER THE ELECTION WHEN HE WAS
TALKING TO HIS SUPPORTERS AND
SAYING YOU HAVE TO STOP THE
STEAL.
I REALLY WON.
AND YOU NEED TO GIVE ME YOUR
MONEY SO I CAN FIGHT THIS IN THE
COURTS.
BUT THE REALITY IS, MORE OF THE
MONEY HE RAISED AFTER THE
ELECTION WENT TOWARDS PAYING