Judge Smacks Down Trump’s Attempt to Hold States’ Disaster Aid Hostage

“In the wake of this horrible storm, many Americans in this region felt helpless and abandoned, and left behind by their government,” Trump said last October. “And yet in North Carolina’s hour of desperation, the American people answer the call much more so than your federal government.”

Trump, still a presidential candidate, managed to raise $7.7 million—funds that the campaign later said would go to a handful of Christian charities with close ties to Trump himself. Those religious entities included Mtn2Sea Ministries, Water Mission, Samaritan’s Purse, the Clinch Foundation, and Sweetwater Mission.

Unlike FEMA, these groups are not legally required to publicly disclose their expenditures, making it next to impossible for the press, the communities in need, or those who donated to actually track down the dollars. GoFundMe, one of the largest aid distribution platforms in the world, breaks down the statistics of the donations it receives via its annual nonprofit report—but it does not track whether campaigns hit their targets or if they actually delivered on their promises.