Donald Trump approved Indian gaming attack ads in New York

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Photo from Facebook

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump personally approved an anti-Indian ad campaign that violated lobbying laws in New York, The Los Angeles Times reports.

The campaign was designed to stoke fears about the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, whose leaders were pursuing an off-reservation casino that conflicted with Trump's interests. The ads labeled the tribe as criminals and blamed a slew of social ills on gambling even though the real estate mogul was involved in the same line of business at the time.

"There were no expenditures that weren’t approved by Mr. Trump himself," Roger Stone, the GOP candidate's former political consultant, told The Times.

Trump was forced to pay a $250,000 fine and issue an apology for violating the state's lobbying laws. He failed to disclose that he was the source of the campaign.

But Stone still insists that he and Trump did nothing wrong. He told the Times that Trump agreed to the settlement in order to avoid paying lawyer fees.

Get the Story:
Trump was once so involved in trying to block an Indian casino that he secretly approved attack ads (The Los Angeles Times 6/30)

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