Donald Trump is running on bringing a no-nonsense, cut-throat businessman's perspective to Washington, where he'll clean house and Make America Great Again. And it's no secret if he ends up being the Republican nominee, his anticipated Democratic opponent ably represents the status quo.
But we wanted to know: Is Trump really the reformer he's painting himself as?
To try and figure that out, we thought it would be useful to take inventory of both candidates' catalog of scandals. Does Trump -- the ostensible outsider -- enjoy a cleaner record?
What follows is -- we believe -- the most comprehensive guide to every scandal associated with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
What qualifies as a "scandal," you ask? We've focused on clear cases of corruption, outright lying, objectively bad behavior, and much-hyped projects that result in complete embarrassment. In other words, the kinds of things that look really bad when you're running for office.
Please note that even as these lists are the most extensive available, they're still just a start. We know that as we continue digging deeper, we'll find more. That's why Grabien's Scandal Scorecard will continue being updated as these respective campaigns continue.
Finally, help us! Are we missing anything? Contact us -- tips@grabien.com -- with your additions/suggestions. If you supply a corresponding article documenting said scandal, expect to see your contribution in a future edition.
Please share ... and help voters educate themselves.
DONALD TRUMP | ||
NO. | YEAR | SCANDAL |
1 | 1968 | Vietnam. Trump dodges the draft after claiming he had "heel spurs." [Source] |
2 | 1968 | “Paris Is Out.” Trump’s first foray into business fails after paying $70,000 to serve as co-producer of the Broadway comedy “Paris Is Out.” [Source] |
3 | 1968- 1975 | His Personal Vietnam. Even as he avoided serving in Vietnam, Trump said his sleeping around during this time was his “personal Vietnam” and he’s a “very brave soldier.” [Source] |
4 | 1973 | Fair Housing Act. The Department of Justice accused Trump of charging higher rents to minorities and using false “no vacancy” statements. He eventually settled but was subsequently accused of violating the terms of the settlement. [Source] |
5 | 1976- 2016 | Real Estate. Even as Trump claims he’s a whiz at real estate, he’s underperformed the market by $13.2 billion, or 57 percent, since 1976. Had he kept par with the market, his net worth would now be $23.2 billion. [Source] |
6 | 1981- 1986 | Nightmare Landlord. In 1981 Trump bought a building adjacent to Central Park with rent-controlled tenants. Hoping to tear down the building to build luxury condos, he began a multi-year campaign to harrass the tenants until they left (including shutting off the heat in the winter, refusing to fix repairs, taking no action against a rodent infestation, and attempting to start a homeless shelter within the building). His efforts failed and the building still stands. [Source] |
7 | 1982 | Illegal Immigrant Labor. Despite running in 2016 as cracking down on illegal immigration, Trump used illegal immigrant labor to build the Trump Tower, paying most less than $5. The workers were not outfitted with hardhats and were forced to sleep on the job site. [Source] |
8 | 1983 | Trump Tower. Trump claims to always use the best materials, hire the best people, etc., yet his flagshit property is 58 stories of concrete (as opposed to steel girders). [Source] |
9 | 1983 | S&A Concrete. Trump Tower used concrete supplied by the mob-run S&A Concrete (owners = “Fat” Tony Salerno, “Big Paul” Castellano). Trump used this same company with other NYC projects. [Source] |
10 | 1989 | Taj Majal. Trump bankrupts the Atlantic City casino, which he had purchased only a year prior. [Source] |
11 | 1989 | Trump: The Game. The Monoply-themed board game failed within a year. A 2005 attempt at reviving the game via The Apprentice also failed. [Source] |
12 | 1989 | Fakes Near-Death Experience. A tragic helicopter accident kills 5, 3 of whom were Trump execs. When the press called Trump for a comment, he sensed an opportunity for PR and falsely claimed he was supposed to be on the helicopter but changed his mind at the last minute. The next day, Trump's "near-death" experience was front-page news. [Source] |
13 | 1990 | Marvin Roffman. Then- gaming securities analyst Marvin Roffman issues a negative forecast for the Taj Mahal; Trump threatened to sue his employer unless he was sacked, which they agreed to do (despite his forecast proving accurate). [Source] |
14 | 1991 | Trump Airlines. Forced to sell off his airline after failing to turn a profit. [Source] |
15 | 1995- 2000 | Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts. The company Trump ran as CEO lost money every year of operation, lost its shareholders and lenders 89 percent of their money before going bankrupt; meanwhile Trump paid himself $32 million. Trump Hotels was worst performing publicly traded gaming company, especially as over this time period the sector itself was going gangbusters. [Source] |
16 | 2004 | Trump Signature Collection. Despite threatening Apple, Carrier, and Ford to strongarm them into bringing their outsourced workers back to the U.S., Trump’s clothing line is manufactured in China and Mexico. After accusing Mexico of sending its rapists into the U.S., Macy’s dropped his line. Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH), the company that manufactures the Trump line says that after losing its main retail outlet in Macys, it plans to dump Trump in 2018. [Source] |
17 | 2005- 2013 | Trump University. The unaccredited “university” operated a classic bait-and-switch scheme, urging enrolles to spend increasingly large amounts of money for returns that never came -- including a meeting with Trump himself (which also never happened). A $40 million suit filed by New York’s attorney general is ongoing. [Source] |
18 | 2005 | TrumpNation. This authorized Trump biography enfuriated its namesake for suggesting his net worth is actually closer to $150-$250 million; Trump sued the author for $5 billion. During the case, which Trump lost, he said he estimates his wealth based on his “feelings” any given day (not financial statements). [Source] |
19 | 2006- 2016 | Donald J. Trump Foundation. Despite advertising himself as an “ardent philanthropist,” the only contributors to his foundation since 2006 come from companies he’s doing business with. [Source] |
20 | 2006 | Trump Vodka. Launched a vodka company that aspired to make the “Trump and Tonic” the most ordered drink in America. It folded in 2011. [Source] |
21 | 2006 | Scottish Golf Resort. Against the wishes of locals, Trump bought an estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire and built a golf course. Trump promised the town the project would create 6,000 jobs, but later admitted it had only created 200. [Source] |
22 | 2006 | Trump Mortgage. Just as the housing bubble was reaching its bursting point, Trump launched a mortgage company, dismissing talk of a bubble on CNBC. “Who knows more about financing than me?” he said. The company folded 18th months later. [Source] |
23 | 2006 | GoTrump.com. The Trump-themed travel site focused on luxury hotels. It failed within a year. [Source] |
24 | 2006- 2015 | Pyramid Scheme. From 2005-2015, Trump has earned millions as a spokesman for the multilevel-marketing company, ACN. (Although in 2015 he claimed he’s never heard of ACN.) A 2011 episode of The Celebrity Apprentice was devoted to hawking an ACN videophone that’s since flopped. The company is regularly accused of operating a pyramid scheme by its disaffected sales associates. [Source] |
25 | 2007 | Trump Magazine. The magazine targeted affluent readers and covered luxury living. It failed within two years. [Source] |
26 | 2007 | Trump Steaks. Trump created a company that bought meat from Sysco-owned Buckhead Beef, branded them Trump Steaks, and sold them through the technoloy store, Sharper Image. The company folded within a year. [Source] |
27 | 2007 | Destroying a Marriage? In his 2007 book, “Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life,” Trump shares a story in which he’s giving a speech in front of an audience of 20,000; an attractive woman asks him if she can audition for the show; he calls her up and asks if she’s ever cheated on her husband; she says she had but that she’s never told her husband; he then advised her to hire a lawyer and sign a pre-nup as a divorce would likely ensue. The chapter featuring the story centered around the importance of pre-nups. [Source] |
28 | 2009 | The Trump Network. Trump bought a vitamin company already accused of being a pyramid scheme, Ideal Health, and attached his name to it. The main product, the PrivaTest, was a urine test that told the users what vitamins to buy. The company was sold in 2012 amidst a host of consumer complaints. [Source] |
29 | 2013 | Tax Rebates. Trump received a New York tax rebate availably only to those earning less than $500,000 annually, undercutting his claims he makes hundreds of millions in income. Trump later called the rebate an error. [Source] |
30 | 2014 | Trump Plaza. Trump Entertainment Resorts, which owns the Taj Mahal and the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, both in Atlantic City, declared bankruptcy. The Trump Plaza closed permanently. [Source] |
31 | 2015 | Land Donations. Trump’s one-page financial statement released during the launch of his campaign claimed he’s given away $102 million worth of land -- but he’s never supplied any information as to what this land is. [Source] |
32 | 2015 | Income. In his July 2015 financial statement released to the media, Trump claimed an income of $362 million; it was later determined that figure was actually gross revenue and his actual income is likely one-third of that. [Source] |
33 | 2016 | Visas for Chinese Nationals. Despite his claims to get tough with China, the Trump Bay Street real estate project is courting investments from Chinese investors through a controversial program called EB-5, which lets foreign investors receive visas. The Dept. of Homeland Security says the program lacks adequate background reviews. [Source] |
34 | 2016 | Make America Great Again PAC. Stephanie Cegielski created the pro-Trump super PAC -- which was financed in part by Seryl Kushner, wife of of convicted felon/Democrat financier, Charles Kushner -- but now believes Trump is mentally unfit for office. [Source] |
35 | 2016 | Trump's First Endorsement. Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) is the first congressman to indorse Trump, and a new report suggests he only did so because a state party bigwig/Trump ally, Carl Paladino, extorted him, threatening to deploy his vast political resources against him. [Source] |
36 | 2016 | Quid Pro Quo? The first person to donate to the Trump campaign, Pamela Newman, is the CEO of the Newman Team at Aon Corp.; she also donated to a pro-Trump super PAC and hosted a fundraiser for Trump. The Trump campaign in turn paid Aon $300K for insurance. [Source] |
37 | 2016 | Assaulting Reporter. Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, violently grabbed a female reporter attempting to ask Trump a question after a speech. He, and Trump, claimed the reporer made up the assault. Police ultimately arrested Lewandowski and provided clear video of the assault. [Source] |
38 | 2016 | Net Worth. While Trump regularly boasts of being worth well more than $10 billion, a Fortune analysis estimated it’s likely between ⅓ and ½ that amount. [Source] |
39 | 2016 | Plagiarism. The op/ed Trump ran in a Northern Mariana Islands newspaper ahead of the territory’s primary was virtually identical to a piece Ben Carson wrote a few days prior. [Source] |
HILLARY CLINTON | ||
NO. | YEAR | SCANDAL |
1 | 1970s- 1980s | Whitewater. Clintons-tied Ark. investment firm that went under after accounting irregularities. [Source] |
2 | 1978- 1979 | Cattlegate. Turned a $1,000 investment in cattle futures into $100,000; claimed to have made the trades herself, but that was later proven untrue; refused to release associated tax returns. [Source] |
3 | 1992- 1994 | Rose Law Firm. When investigators subpoenaed docs related to her role with a firm tied to Whitewater, they mysteriously went missing. [Source] |
4 | 1993 | Travelgate. Fired W.H. staff to hire firm with Clinton ties instead. [Source] |
5 | 1993 | Vince Foster files. Clinton lawyer committed suicide and files were removed from his office before investigators arrived. [Source] |
6 | 1993- 1994 | Filegate. Clinton W.H. ally procured FBI backgrounders on previous Republican administrations. [Source] |
7 | 1993- 1996 | HillaryCare. Elicited popular anger after, despite having no official elected position, attempted overhauling America’s medical system. She was sued after refusing to provide documents related to the plan’s creation (largely orchestrated in secret), resulting in $285,864 fine. [Source] |
8 | 1994 | Clinton Legal Defense Fund. The Clintons created a fund allowing people who needed favors from the president to donate to his legal bills. [Source] |
9 | 1995- 1996 | Commerce Dept.’s “pay to play” junkets. Trade mission trips sold to corporate donors to Clinton’s re-election campaign. [Source] |
10 | 1995- 1997 | IRS Abuses. In 1995, the Clintons created an “enemies” list -- conservative think tanks, activists, Bill Clinton mistresses, most of whom were targeted for IRS audits. [Source] |
11 | 1996 | Lincoln Bedroom. Clinton's rented out White House bedroom to more than 800 donors. [Source] |
12 | 1996 | Charlie Trie. Clinton friend who raised hundreds of thousands in illegal contributions; helped arrange a meeting with her and a Chinese arms dealer. [Source] |
13 | 1996 | ChinaGate. The People’s Republic of China attempted to sway the 1996 presidential race, illegally donating to the re-election campaign, Clinton Legal Defense Fund & DNC. [Source] |
14 | 1999 | FALN terrorists’ pardons. Hillary brokered the pardons of many FALN terrorists in exchange for NYC Councilman Jose Rivera helping recruit Puerto Rican support for her Senate bid). [Source] |
15 | 2000 | Peter Paul. Convicted cocaine trafficker arranged the most lucrative fund-raiser for then candidate Hillary Clinton in Senate history -- which was illegal). [Source] |
16 | 2000 | Norman Hsu. (Illegally accepted money from convicted felon Norman Hsu, despite FBI warnings). [Source] |
17 | 2001 | PardonGate. As Bill Clinton left office, he pardoned 400+ people, many of which which helped Hillary’s then-Senate bid). [Source] |
18 | 2004 | Robert Congel. Hillary channeled federal funds to a N.Y. developer who donated $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation. [Source] |
19 | 2008 | Campaign Finance Violations. One Hillary bundler, Jeffrey Thompson, pled guilty to violating campaign finance laws. [Source] |
20 | 2008 | Near-Death Experience. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Clinton claimed she arrived at the airport in Bosnia in 1996 under heavy sniper fire. CBS footage later revealed the arrival to be very peaceful and ordinary. [Source] |
21 | 2008 | Clinton Foundation. During the campaign, foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation increased 70 percent as foreign countries sought influence over American foreign policy. [Source] |
22 | 2008- 2012 | Boko Haram. Clinton declined requests by the FBI, CIA, DoJ to designate Boko Haram a terrorist group. It’s believed a donation from a Nigerian developer to the Clinton Foundation influenced her decision. [Source] |
23 | 2009- 2013 | Secretary of State. Despite setting a record most time spent abroad, Hillary Clinton has been unable to cite a single achievement from her time in office. [Source] |
24 | 2009- 2013 | Secret Server. Clinton create her own email server to conduct government business, which she claimed was for convenience but appear designed to skirt FOIA requests. It’s also a federal crime to “knowingly” store classified material at “an unauthorized location.” [Source] |
25 | 2012 | Afghan Consulate. Directs $80 million to build a U.S. consulate in N. Afghanistan, but abandons the plan after security concerns. [Source] |
26 | 2012 | Benghazi. Hillary acknowledged the night of the attack that al Qaeda was the culprit, but in the midst of an election season, instead blamed an obscure Internet video for sparking a protest that got out of control. She was later caught witholding documents related to the investigation. |
27 | 2013 | Covered Up Scandals. The State Dept. Inspector General reports investigations into illegal and inappropriate behavior (sexual assault, prostitution, drug trafficking) within the Diplomatic Security Service were shut down. [Source] |
28 | 2014 | $6 Billion Missing. Under her watch, the State Dept. misplaced $6 billion due to improper filing of contracts. [Source] |
29 | 2015 | Women’s Rights. Clinton began her 2016 campaign with a focus on “women’s right’s” issues; yet the biggest contributor to the Clinton Foundation is Saudi Arabia, where women have almost no rights (per the State Dept.). [Source] |
30 | 2015 | ‘No Classified Material.’ When she finally acknowledged her secret server, she claimed she never sent or possessed classified material. She later began saying the material wasn’t “marked” classified. [Source] |
31 | 2015 | Failure to Produce. After having the emails on her private server subpoenaed, Clinton eventually turned many of the work-related ones over to the State Department. Despite claiming the batch constituted “all” of her emails, the State Dept. subsequently acknowledged they had many of her work emails she hadn’t sent over. [Source] |
32 | 2015 | Altering Evidence. Before turning over her emails to the State Dept., Clinton was found to have altered them in at least six case, deleting entire passages. [Source] |