Trump’s wealthy friends look to cash in during coronavirus crisis

Concerns arose in Washington DC after some watchdog organizations claimed, wealthy individuals close to the President were trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to cash in more money. 

Trump donor and billionaire Harold Hamm is an elite gas and oil executive. He had met Trump last April to ask for federal help. Sources report, he wanted access to the loans for businesses that have been hurt during this pandemic

After the meeting, President Trump had promised that the funds were to be made available to people who require it the most. 

Tommy Fisher, an ally of Trump, landed around a 400 million dollar Army Corps of Engineers contract last year. The contract was reportedly put out to build a border wall in Arizona. The company has received another 7 million dollars from the army since then. The allocation was approved despite Trump being investigated by the Pentagon over allegations of favoritism. 

Chief executive from MyPillow, Mike Lindel, a chairperson of the Trump campaign in the state of Minnesota was also allegedly given a more than fair treatment at a White House press briefing. Trump claimed that the company was trying to make more facemasks during this period of crisis.

This kind of treatment given to the people who have been supporting Trump and the Republican cause has made officials in the Capitol Hill accuse Trump of choosing favorites even during a global crisis. 

Some have accused Trump of trying to allocate funds to people who have backed his election and his party. A few watchdog groups have called in for critical scrutiny of the donors who have close ties with Trump as more than 2.6 trillion dollars is being given out in the form of relief funds.

Robert Maguire, research director at a watchdog group called “Crew” said that the American tax is not for the President and his donors’ personal use. 

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