A dog rescue charity that has ties to Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, has spent nearly $ 2 million on Trump’s properties in the past seven years, according to American media reports.
While other companies and groups have distanced themselves from the Trumps since the January 6 attack on the capital, Florida-based Big Dog Ranch Rescue is expected to spend another $ 225,000 at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club for an event at this weekend, according to a license presented to the city of Palm Beach, which was reported by HuffPost.
The former president has lived at the club full-time since he left the White House in January after his election defeat.
HuffPost reported that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records show that the charity has spent as much as $ 1,883,160 in fundraising costs for events in Mar-a-Lago and a nearby Trump golf course since 2014. Lara Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, has been president of charity events since 2018.
Donald Trump’s Trump Foundation, which was dissolved in 2019, and Eric Trump’s Eric Trump Foundation, are known to have used donor money for events and other expenses on Trump properties. Donald Trump admitted in court documents that he used charity money to buy a portrait of himself.
Lauren Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, is a fervent supporter of Trump and has posted many comments on social media in support of ex-president’s groundless campaign “Stop the Steal” to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In a Facebook post on January 4, two days before the deadly uprising in the United States capital, Simmons posted a picture on Facebook that said: “Either WE RETURN to power or we will never be free”.
In a statement to HuffPo, Simmons said: “The quality of the service, the beauty of the location and the excellent prices provided us as a non-profit organization, as well as the generosity of the supporters who crowd our event there every year allows us to rescue and house thousands of dogs. Our investment there and in other places mentioned in the article has earned more than $ 12 million over an eight-year period, which allows us to continue our mission ”.