title:  Donald Trump Is Staring Down A Criminal Investigation For Buying Endorsements
text: The Donald isn t having a very good week at all. His campaign manager was charged with battery for assaulting a lady, multiple protesters are suing him for assault and battery, his communications director quit and told the truth about him, and his supporters won t even be able to bring their guns to the GOP convention in case things get messy. Now, it looks like he will be facing a criminal investigation for buying Ben Carson s endorsement with an illegal job offer.Last month, Ben Carson made it very clear that he did not endorse Donald Trump because he likes him, agrees with his policies, or even thinks he should be President   Trump offered him a job in his future administration in exchange for Carson s unwavering servitude. So far, he s been a good little  house boy  for the billionaire, heaping praise on the 2016 hopeful and even defending Trump s recent comments that women should face punishment for having an abortion.But this latest bought-and-paid-for bromance may cause some complication in Trump s life. Public interest group the American Democracy Legal Fund has filed a complaint with the Department of Justice Criminal Division, asking for an investigation into Trump s actions. Noting that federal law prohibits a candidate from promising a position to  any person  in exchange for support, the ADLF penned a letter demanding that Trump s illegal actions be investigated:American Democracy Legal Fund ( ADLF ) is a group established to hold candidates for office accountable for possible ethics and/or legal violations.  It has recently come to light that Mr. Donald Trump may have willfully offered Dr. Ben Carson an appointment to his administration should he become president in return for supporting his candidacy in violation of 18 U.S.C.   599.  ADLF respectfully requests that you investigate this matter and take all appropriate action as soon as possible.Former presidential candidate Dr. Carson endorsed Mr. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination on March 11, 2016.  Mr. Trump and Dr. Carson met the day before to discuss and finalize the endorsement.  Three days later, on March 14, Dr. Carson gave an interview to Newsmax TV to discuss his recent endorsement of Mr. Trump.  During the interview, Dr. Carson stated that he believed Mr. Trump would  surround himself with very good people.  When asked if he would be one of those people, Dr. Carson responded,  I will be doing things as well.  When the interviewer asked whether that meant in a Trump administration, Dr. Carson replied,  Certainly in an advisory capacity.  The interviewer then asked Dr. Carson if  that s been determined  and followed by asking,  When you sat down with [Mr. Trump] that was discussed?  Dr. Carson openly admitted,  Yes,  and said that while they  hadn t hammered out all the details,   it is very important that we work together.   When asked if this meant a cabinet position, Dr. Carson declined to  reveal any details about it right now, because all of this is still very liquid. Pursuant to 18 U.S.C.   599,  [w]hoever, being a candidate, directly or indirectly promises or pledges the appointment, or the use of his influence or support for the appointment of any person to any public or private position or employment, for the purpose of procuring support in his candidacy shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. Dr. Carson s comments strongly suggest that Mr. Trump promised him an administration position in return for his endorsement.  In his interview, Dr. Carson stated that he would  certainly  have an advisory capacity within a potential Trump administration.  When asked directly whether this role was discussed during their endorsement meeting, Dr. Carson responded,  Yes.  Dr. Carson s assured answers lead to the reasonable conclusion that Mr. Trump promised Dr. Carson an administration post in order to secure his endorsement in violation of 18 U.S.C.   599.Federal law prohibits a candidate from directly or indirectly promising the appointment of any person to any public or private position in exchange for his or her support.  Dr. Carson s comments indicate that Mr. Trump used the promise of a role in his administration to secure Dr. Carson s support for his presidential campaign.  For the above stated reasons, we respectfully request that you undertake an immediate investigation of this matter.Trump cares nothing about the law. This is obvious to even the most casual observer after hearing him talk about killing terrorists  families, establishing a national Muslim database, and establishing Muslim concentration camp. Trump, a man who promises to pay for his supporters  legal defense when they beat up African-Americans at his rallies, is completely detestable. Somehow, it is almost poetic that his illegal interactions with a black man might finally bring him down.Now we must wonder: who else did he buy off?Featured image via Bloomberg Finance