Tampa Bay Times calls for federal investigation into Trump Foundation

Questions over the Trump Foundation’s illegal contribution to a political group tied to Florida’s attorney general do not appear to be going away.

The Tampa Bay Times is urging the federal government to investigate potential connections between Donald Trump’s charity and Florida state Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“Since Florida prosecutors will not touch this mess, the Justice Department is the only option,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote on Thursday.

“The appearance of something more than a coincidence is too serious and the unresolved questions are too numerous to accept blanket denials by Bondi and Trump without more digging and an independent review,” the board said.

The question at hand is whether the Trump Foundation made the $25,000 contribution to stave off a Florida state inquiry, led by Bondi in 2013, related to allegations against Trump University — the New York billionaire’s embattled entrepreneurship business.

The Tampa Bay Times called into question the timing of Bondi’s decision not to pursue any further investigation into the matter, saying it “simply does not look right and deserves an independent look to reassure Floridians that the state’s top legal officer did nothing wrong.”