UPDATED: 4:40 p.m. ET —
A new report further puts into question the president’s sincerity when he discusses his efforts to endear himself to the Black community. And while that may seem like a no-brainer for someone who has a decades-long record of discriminating against Black people, what was strange this time around is that the Black community in question is a group of Republicans working on his behalf to secure his re-election in November.
Black Americans to Re-Elect the President describes itself in part as “a political action committee dedicated to re-electing the President by promoting the policy initiatives of President Trump.” But Trump’s campaign has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to “disavow” the group, according to Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Markay, who tweeted a copy of the paperwork that was dated Thursday, April 9.
“Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. (the ‘Committee’) is filing this miscellaneous report consistent with 11 CFR 102.13 and 100.3(a)(3) to disavow the below mentioned committee which appears to be using Donald J. Trump’s name, image, likeness, or slogans in connection with soliciting contributions and conducting other activities,” the complaint filed by Donald J. Trump For President, Inc., begins. “This Committee is concerned about the likelihood of confusion among the public, which may be led to believe such activities are authorized by Mr. Trump or this Committee or that contributions to such unauthorized committees are being made to Mr. Trump’s campaign, when they are not. As such, the Committee wishes to place this disavowal notice on the public record that the following committee is not authorized by Mr. Trump.”
In his tweet that first broke the news, Markay tagged the Twitter handle of Vernon Robinson, the treasurer for Black Americans to Re-Elect the President, and wrote that the group “appears to do little beyond raise money and pay its own execs.”
https://twitter.com/lachlan/status/1248315541204414464?s=20
While there was no immediate and apparent proof of that claim, the group’s website — complete with a URL of https://www.blackamericansmaga.org/ — does feature images of Trump and includes a link to its Soundcloud page that features an advertisement entitled, “Black Babies Matter,” that is accompanied by the imagery of a Confederate flag. The group also lists “Saving black babies from abortion and promoting crisis pregnancy centers” as one of “the policy initiatives of President Trump” that it promotes.
When reached for comment, Robinson sent NewsOne an exclusive statement that listed a number of efforts that Black Americans to Re-Elect the President has made on behalf of Trump’s candidacy, including “refuting the ridiculous charge that the President became a racist at 70 after being feted by the civil rights establishment for his entire adult life, exposing racist comments of Joe Biden and other Democrats.”
Robinson, who co-authored the book, “Coming Home: How Black Americans will Re-Elect Trump,” wrote in the statement that Black Americans to Re-elect the President has “never claimed to be part of the Trump campaign” and noted that its ads and website include a disclaimer saying as much.
“We believe that when we sit down with the Trump Campaign Counsel, we will work out this misunderstanding consistent with prohibition on coordination between an independent committee and an authorized one,” Robinson wrote in response to the FEC complaint.
The language used by Trump’s campaign to disavow Black Americans to Re-Elect the President was considerably stronger that his reluctant denouncement of David Duke, the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis, the latter of which he said included some “very fine people.”
Team Trump has touted its growing support among Black voters and made no secret of his desire to attract more. He bragged in November about the “grassroots” Black Voices for Trump group that includes Martin Luther King‘s niece alongside conservatives with polarizing opinions on everything from sexual assault to sexism to slavery. He has made it a point to invite the Young Black Conservatives group led by Hitler-sympathizing Candace Owens to the White House each February to celebrate Black History Month.
But he and his campaign have apparently drawn the line at Black Americans to Re-Elect for allegedly misrepresenting its association with Team Trump.
This is America.
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