Representatives from two more veterans’ groups listed by the Donald J. Trump Foundation as recipients of donations from the Republican presidential candidate’s January 28 fundraiser say their organizations have received donations. Earlier this week, I spoke to representatives of nine other groups, some of whom said they had received donations, while others had not.
The Puppy Jake Foundation, an Iowa-based charity that trains and places service dogs with wounded veterans, received a $100,000 check from the Trump Foundation on January 30, two days after the fundraiser reportedly raised more than $6 million. “What they said was this was the first part of it but they didn’t know the remainder,” said Puppy Jake CEO Becky Beach in a phone interview.
Beach said someone from either the Trump organization or campaign called the day of the fundraiser at Drake University in Des Moines to ask if the group would like to participate and receive a donation. “We had no expectation and we were not asked to do anything,” she said.
While they have not heard back from the Trump Foundation since receiving the initial check, Beach said she believes there could be more money coming. Any amount, she added, is greatly appreciated. “My background is in fundraising,” said Beach, who was once involved in Republican politics in Iowa. “I know how difficult it is to raise money.”
A second charity, the New Hampshire-based Liberty House, also received a $100,000 check, but this came from the Stewart J. Rahr Foundation says spokeswoman Lindsay Elipharp. The Rahr Foundation has also donated to other charity groups on the Trump Foundation’s list. Keith Howard, the executive director of Liberty House, received a call from someone in the Trump organization on February 2 to see if the charity was interested in receiving a donation.
“We don’t know how they found Liberty House. We’re pretty surprised to be among the organizations selected because we are pretty small,” Elipharp said.
Sometime last week, Elipharp says, Liberty House received the check and a letter from the Rahr Foundation. “Please note that this donation originated thank to Mr. Donald Trump and our mutual admiration of our nation’s veterans,” Elipharp read from the letter.
It’s not clear if the Rahr Foundation donations to Liberty House and other veterans groups are a part of the $6 million raised by Trump in Iowa last month.
