Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman and Nelli Black,  Senior Writer | Producer CNN Investigates | Senior Producer for CNN's Investigations Unit  -  CNN Stephan: I don't think, and can find no example in doing research, that anyone has ever seen running for president basically use the campaign process as a way to personally enrich themselves. But that, as this article describes in detail, is exactly what criminal Trump is doing. Whether he wins of loses he is going to personally enrich himself by tens of millions of dollars. It is a despicable distortion of the U.S. democratic election system. It is all a huge scam to Trump; he is milking both the rich and the poor. Late last year, former President Donald Trump announced his endorsement of car dealership owner Bernie Moreno for Ohio’s Senate seat – elevating an untested candidate who’d never held public office over several other more prominent Republicans. Two days later, Moreno’s campaign spent about $17,000 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, and then followed up by spending an additional $79,000 the next month – making him one of the Florida club’s top political spenders. He wasn’t alone. With glitzy Mar-a-Lago fundraisers, stays at Trump’s hotels, and flights on the former president’s private jet, Republican candidates and political groups are on track to spend more on Trump’s businesses this year than any year since 2016, according to a CNN analysis of federal campaign finance data. Trump himself has been the biggest spender, both this year and over the last decade. Between his three presidential campaigns, Trump and associated political groups have funneled more than $28 million in campaign donations to his businesses – helping convert the enthusiasm of his political supporters into personal profit. Other Republicans have followed suit, spending millions at [...]

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