Did Trump’s inauguration committee screw up its Florida incorporation filing?

The committee overseeing President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration refiled its incorporation papers in Florida last week after submitting a separate set days earlier under a slightly different name.

The unusual move of incorporating under two different names within days of each other suggests Trump’s team got its name wrong when it filed the first time, campaign-finance watchdog End Citizens United said in an emailed statement.

Both sets of papers were filed in Florida, the state in which Trump resides and one generally viewed as friendly to the Republican and his incoming administration, the group also noted.

“Taking two tries to get the name of your inaugural committee right reeks of incompetence — but the real red flag is that Trump is incorporating the committee in Florida in an apparent effort to evade oversight and accountability,” End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said in the statement.

Trump’s campaign didn’t respond to the Current‘s inquiries about the matter.

Florida attorney Jacob William Roth first filed incorporation papers for a group called Trump Vance Inauguration Committee Inc. on Nov. 7 with the state of Florida, records show. Then, five days later, Roth filed anew for an entity called Trump Vance Inaugural Committee Inc.

Roth also didn’t respond to the Current‘s inquiry on the dual filing.

End Citizens United’s Muller said controversies surrounding Trump’s first inauguration mean his second demands serious scrutiny.

In 2022, Trump’s businesses and inaugural committee struck a $750,000 deal to resolve a lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia’s attorney general that accused the committee of overpaying for events at Trump’s hotel to enrich his family. In a statement released at the time, Trump said the settlement included no admission of guilt.

Trump’s 2017 presidential inauguration was the most expensive in U.S. history, running some $200 million — or twice that of previous record-holder Barack Obama.

“After his last inaugural committee got caught misusing funds and self-dealing, which led to a $750,000 fine, it’s clear Trump wants to use the millions and millions in undisclosed donations they’ll raise from billionaires and corporations as a corrupt slush fund,” Muller said. “While the first Trump administration was the most corrupt in history, the second one is already saying, ‘hold my beer.’”

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This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2024.