Donald Trump today dismissed questions about his failure to disclose an improper US$25,000 contribution to a political group connected to Florida Attorney-General Pam Bondi, who was at the time considering whether to open a fraud investigation against Trump University.
"I never spoke to her, first of all; she's a fine person beyond reproach. I never even spoke to her about it at all. She's a fine person. Never spoken to her about it. Never," Trump said today while speaking to reporters in Ohio.
"Many of the attorney-generals turned that case down because I'll win that case in court. Many turned that down. I never spoke to her."
The US$25,000 gift, paid by the Donald J. Trump Foundation, violated federal rules that prohibit charities from making donations to political candidates.
Trump and his team also failed to disclose the large gift to the Internal Revenue Service, instead reporting that the donation was given to an unrelated group with a similar name - effectively obscuring the contribution.