Payday lender accidentally exposes pay-to-play scheme between RNC and Trump's White House

A Republican fundraiser exposed a pay-to-play scheme between the GOP and the White House.

Michael Hodges, founder of Advance Financial, told a gathering of his fellow payday lenders that industry contributions to President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign could win access to administration officials, reported the Washington Post.

Hodges urged other payday lenders to donate to Trump’s campaign — “every dollar amount, no matter how small or large it is” — as their industry tries to weaken Obama administration regulations of short-term loans to consumers at high interest rates.

The payday lender linked the Republican National Committee to the scheme during a Sept. 24 webinar sponsored by industry consultant Borrow Smart Compliance.

“For example, I’ve gone to Ronna McDaniel and said, ‘Ronna, I need help on something,’” Hodges said. “She’s been able to call over to the White House and say, ‘Hey, we have one of our large givers. They need an audience … They need to be heard and you need to listen to them.’ So that’s why it’s important.”