Trump campaign donors are getting irritated their money is being used for 'elongated hush payments'

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 17 August 2018

On Thursday morning, Omarosa Manigault Newman released a recording of a December 2017 conversation with Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, in which she appeared to offer the just-fired Manigault Newman $15,000 a month for what didn't sound like very taxing work on President Trump's re-election campaign.

And $15,000 a month seems to be the going rate for former Trump White House officials who worked closely with the president. According to federal election filings reviewed by ABC News, the Trump campaign, Republican National Committee, or pro-Trump America First PAC are also paying former Oval Office security chief Keith Schiller's private firm $15,000 a month for "security services" tied to the 2020 GOP national political convention, $14,000 per month for "payroll" to Trump "body man" John McEntee, and $15,000 a month to former ad director Gary Coby — all of whom, presumably, signed restrictive nondisclosure agreements.

According to the Lara Trump tape, that money comes straight from donors — and some major donors are getting irked "by the revelations that the campaign may have been used as a slush fund to pay fired or troublesome employees," The New York Times reports. "It's diverting donor money that could be used to wage the midterm election battle or store resources for Trump's re-election," said Dan Eberhart, Trump donor and America First adviser. "Instead, it's an elongated hush payment." At the same time, he said, "they still want to win elections," so wallets aren't necessarily closed.

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If the donors are annoyed, Trump is "rattled" by the trickle of Manigault Newman's recordings and "Trump's aides have been concerned that they will make appearances on other tapes, of which Ms. Manigault Newman is believed to have as many as 200," the Times reports. On MSNBC Thursday morning, she said, "Believe me, my tapes are much better than theirs." And so far, she's right.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.