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GoFundMe will repay more than $ 20 million to donors who donated money to a campaign organized by an air force veteran to build a wall along the southwestern border.
The company said it was donating because the organizer, Brian Kolfage announced that the funds would go to a non-profit organization that he created and not to the federal government as promised at the start.
The change of recipient of the funds violates the GoFundMe rules, said company spokesman Bobby Whithorne . .
"When creating the campaign, the campaign organizer expressly stated on the campaign page:" If we do not reach our target or if we do not get closer significantly, we will We'll pay back every penny, "said Whithorne." He also said on the campaign page: "100% of your donations will go to Trump Wall." If for some reason we did not achieve our goal, we would pay you back your gift. ""
"However, this did not happen. This means that all donors will receive a refund, "he added.
Kolfage, a wounded triple amputee serving in Iraq, launched the" We, the People Will Build the Wall "campaign in December. the goal of raising $ 1 billion to fund President Donald Trump's border security project. On Friday, he updated the page to indicate that he had concluded that the government would not be able to accept GoFundMe donations "in the near future".
Instead, Kolfage stated that he and a team of counselors had formed a Florida-based nonprofit organization called "We Build the Wall, Inc." to receive the contributions.
"Our highly experienced team is confident that we can complete important segments of the wall in less time and for much less money than the federal government meets or exceeds all regulatory, technical and technical specifications. environmental requirements, "wrote Kolfage.
To date, the Kolfage campaign has raised approximately $ 20.4 million from more than 340,000 donors. GoFundMe indicates that any donor who wishes their contribution to go to the non-profit society of Kolfage must proactively approve the new destination.
"If they do not, they will automatically receive a full refund," said Whithorne.
Kolfage has come under increasing scrutiny since NBC News has published a review of his previous Internet adventures, including the management of websites defending debulled conspiracy theories. A separate report from BuzzFeed News revealed that Kolfage would have pocketed money from a previous GoFundMe campaign where he had started raising funds for wounded veterans.
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