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The Trump University $25K and the Pay-to-Play Model
Money
In 2013, Pam Bondi personally solicited a $25,000 donation from the Trump Foundation to her political committee “And Justice for All.” The donation arrived four days after her office announced it was reviewing whether to join the New York Attorney General’s fraud lawsuit against Trump University. Bondi’s office dropped the investigation. Trump Foundation paid a $2,500 IRS fine for the illegal political contribution (foundations cannot donate to political campaigns). Florida’s defrauded students received no restitution — unlike students in states that pursued the case. The donation cost Trump $25,000. The investigation would have cost him millions. The return on investment was immediate and complete.
The Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2013 | NY AG files fraud lawsuit against Trump University |
| March 2013 | Bondi’s office announces review of whether to join NY AG lawsuit |
| March 2013 | $25,000 Trump Foundation → “And Justice for All” (Bondi PAC), 4 days after announcement |
| 2013 | Bondi declines to pursue investigation |
| 2016 | Trump Foundation ordered to pay $2,500 IRS fine |
| 2018 | NY AG case settles: Trump pays $25M to defrauded students |
| 2019 | Bondi joins Trump impeachment defense team |
| 2025 | Bondi nominated and confirmed as Attorney General |
The students Trump University defrauded in Florida never received the restitution that students in New York received. The $25,000 donation prevented an investigation that would have led to a settlement likely worth millions.
The LPS Foreclosure Pattern
The Trump University case wasn’t an anomaly. It was the model:
Lender Processing Services (LPS): Bondi received thousands in donations from LPS and affiliates while her office was investigating the company for robo-signing foreclosure fraud. In 2013, she fired two attorneys — Clarkson and Edwards — who had presented evidence that LPS employees were falsifying documents for JPMorgan Chase.
After firing the investigators: “The Florida attorney general’s office never issued another subpoena to any foreclosure mill or associated target.”
Result: $120.6M multi-state settlement, but Florida received only ~$8.6M. Most homeowner relief funds were controlled by the legislature rather than the AG’s office.
Contradiction
Bondi’s office investigated LPS for falsifying foreclosure documents — a fraud that cost Florida homeowners billions. She fired the attorneys leading the investigation. The office stopped issuing subpoenas. The settlement was minimal. Bondi received donations from LPS affiliates throughout. The pattern is identical to Trump University: donor gives money → investigation stops → victims receive nothing → AG moves on. The only variable is the donor’s name.
The Charity Scheme
Between 2011 and 2016, Bondi directed businesses under investigation to donate $20.2M to charities — including $5.5M to 35 unregistered charities. Some of these charities had connections to Bondi’s office. The mechanism: businesses facing prosecution were offered reduced penalties in exchange for “charitable” donations to organizations the AG’s office selected.
In 2025, Bondi issued a DOJ memo prohibiting settlement funds from going to third-party organizations — effectively banning the practice she invented.
Sources
- CREW: The Trump Foundation-Pam Bondi scandal (Tier 2)
- PolitiFact: Donald Trump, Pam Bondi and $25K — Was it pay to play? (Tier 2)
- American Prospect: When Pam Bondi Protected Foreclosure Fraudsters (Tier 2)
- Orlando Weekly: Orlando businessman alleges Pam Bondi directed millions to unregistered charities (Tier 2)