An internal investigation by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) board of directors found that Vince McMahon gave ex-President Trump’s expired charitable foundation $5 million in undisclosed payments, The Wall Street Journal reported,citing securities deposits and persons familiar with the investigation.
The WWE Board of Directors has conducted an investigation with the former CEO and Chairman of WWE regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, according to the newspaper. McMahon resigned in July from his WWE roles.
The board found $5 million in unreported expenses from McMahon in contributions to the Donald J. Trump Foundation, people familiar with the investigation told the newspaper. That amount of money was part of about $20 million in unreported expenses the former WWE CEO paid, according to stock filings this month.
The newspaper reported that WWE paid a total of $5 million in 2007 and 2009, citing the nonprofit’s tax returns, which occurred around the same time that the former president appeared at some of their events.
“Mr. Trump and WWE entered into a contract under which WWE agreed and personally paid him a $1 million attendance fee,” Jerry McDevitt, an attorney representing WWE, told the newspaper in an email.
Meanwhile, the McMahon family made a personal contribution to the Trump Foundation of $4 million. He added that no additional fees were paid to Mr. Trump, or any additional contribution to the Trump Organization, due to the success of the event.
The development comes on the heels of a recent FBI search warrant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in a separate controversy linked to the former president. The search warrant was disclosed Friday, indicating that officials believe Trump may have violated several laws, including the Espionage Act.
The Hill has reached out to Trump and McDevitt spokespeople for comment.
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