PALM BEACH, Fla., July 1 (UPI) — According to an investigation by the Washington Post, Donald Trump used money from his own charity to buy an autographed Tim Tebow helmet and jersey.
Trump bought the apparel four years ago at a charity auction for the Susan J. Komen Foundation, the Post reported.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee paid $12,000 for the helmet, but used money from the Donald J. Trump Foundation, according to the report.
The charity fundraiser occurred in Palm Beach. The helmet and jersey were from Tebow’s Denver Broncos days.
“Trump himself sent no money. (In fact, a Komen spokeswoman said, Trump has never given a personal gift of cash to the Komen organization.) He paid the bill with money from a charity he founded in 1987, but which is largely stocked with other people’s money,” The Post’s David A. Fahrenthold reported. “Trump is the foundation’s president. But, at the time of the auction, Trump had given none of his own money to the foundation for three years running.”
The post discovered the payment while reviewing Trump’s charitable giving. It also asked tax law experts if Trump violated IRS rules against “self dealing.”
Experts told the Post that it depends on if Trump still has the items in his possession. If he gave the helmet and jersey to another charity, he would appear to be in the clear.
The Komen for the Cure Perfect Pink party raised more than $1 million, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. Mar-a-Lago Club, a Trump owned estate, hosted the party on January 14, 2012.
Since 1982, the Susan J. Komen Foundation has “funded more than $889 million in research, more than $1.95 billion in medical care, community and provider education, and psychosocial support, and serves millions in more than 60 countries,” according to its website.
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