GoFundMe campaign will pay legal fees of anyone leaking new Trump tapes

It's aiming to raise $5 million.
 By 
Tim Chester
 on 
GoFundMe campaign will pay legal fees of anyone leaking new Trump tapes
The fundraising campaign has raised over $10,000 already. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Donald Trump has been stung by so many damaging revelations recently it has become a case of when, not if, the next bombshell will hit.

While Clinton has fielded her fair share of Wikileaks, the Republican candidate has been hit by a leaked tax return, a clip of him appearing in a soft core porn film and a recording of him essentially saying fame lets him assault women -- all in the last two weeks.

His poll numbers have slid accordingly.


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Now a group of friends have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the legal fees of anyone who leaks further footage that gives an insight into Trump's temperament.

The Trump Sunlight Campaign is aiming to hustle $5 million, the apparent fee quoted in Apprentice employees' contracts in the event of any show tape leaking. Reports have circulated in recent days that Trump can be heard using the N-word in one piece of footage. The fundraising page has hauled in over $11,000 at the time of writing.

Its creator, Aaron Holman, told Mashable he started the page with a group of friends after talking about Friday's audio tape.

"We had a feeling there was more stuff out there," Holman, who says he works as a consultant in the healthcare industry, told us. But people "are being intimidated by the threat of a bunch of legal fees."

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

He and his friends, who all went to the University of Michigan and are Democrats but are not "campaign people," shared a frustration that there could be suppression of footage that would enlighten the voters.

"Fundamentally, the American electorate have to think about so many complex things, healthcare, education, the police situation... really difficult decisions," he added. "The most important thing is knowing the character of who's running for office. The things that come out of their mouth is a good indicator of their character."

Holman said that the money is designed to be a "legal defense fund" for someone "who is yet to be named ... Our goal is for that person to know that there is someone out there that is trying to help and lessen any financial" risk.

If the money is not claimed, the organizers hoped to donate it to the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). Holman said that clear, honest reporting can "communicate through all the madness" of a modern election. However, the CIR issued a statement Monday saying it would not accept the funds. "CIR does not and would not conduct any investigation in a partisan manner," it reads. Holman and his friends are looking for another beneficiary.

A Clinton donor has also offered to cover the legal expenses of any Apprentice staffer who leaks a tape, BuzzFeed reports. "If a $5 million 'leak fee' is what stands between the truth and total Trump implosion, sign me up," American Bridge founder David Brock told the site.

Apprentice producer Mark Burnett released a statement Monday saying that he would not be releasing any unseen footage from the show and denying that he threatened anyone with litigation if they leaked any clips.

BONUS: Donald Trump Campaign Speech: Kids Lip Dub

Topics Donald Trump

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Tim Chester

Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.

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