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A campaign of GoFundMe to subsidize what he called "the wall of trump" will repay all the money to the donors because he did not reach his goal of one billion dollars, said Bobby Whithorne, Director of Communications for North America for GoFundMe. Donors will receive their money on April 11, unless they choose to donate their contribution to the campaigner's new venture, GoFundMe said in an email to campaign participants.
Brian Kolfage, a three-amputee air force veteran, raised more than $ 20 million on the crowdfunding platform to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. At the beginning of the campaign, Kolfage had declared that he would only raise the funds if the campaign reached its goal of a billion dollars – about a fifth of what President Trump had asked Congress to build.
"This means that all donors will receive a refund," said Whithorne in an email to CBS News.
The announcement of the refund comes a day after BuzzFeed News announced that Kolfage had pocketed money during a previous GoFundMe campaign intended to help other wounded soldiers. Kolfage raised $ 16,246 for a veterans mentoring program, but BuzzFeed News reported that after collecting the funds, he did not use the funds as promised: none of the partners he had alleged to have worked – including Walter Reed, Brooke Army Medical Center and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany – would have evidence that Kolfage was working with their patients or giving money, according to representatives of the centers with which BuzzFeed News it's maintained.
In an update for donors on Friday, Kolfage did not miss the goal. was the main reason for the refund. Instead, he pointed to the inefficiency of the government and the fact that the federal government "will not be able to accept our donations any time soon".
Kolfage gave donors the opportunity to offer their contribution to GoFundMe and a team he had assembled to privately build the border wall. The group, a 501 (c) (4), calls "We Build the Wall, Inc.," according to an email from GoFundMe to contributors.
CBS News
"Our highly experienced team is confident that we can achieve significant segments of the wall in less time and for much less money than the federal government, while meeting or exceeding all regulatory specifications, technical and environmental requirements "Kolfage wrote in its update.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, a 501 (c) (4) is a non-profit organization "operated exclusively to promote social well-being". money to Kolfage; If they do nothing, the money will automatically be returned, according to Whithorne.
Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Kolfage's spokesperson, did not immediately respond to e-mails requesting comments.
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