Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump directed his reelection campaign to issue a blistering statement implicitly condemning a longtime political adviser who used Trump's name to raise millions of dollars for an unaffiliated political group, several people familiar with the President's reaction said. The President was "livid" when he found out the political group run by his former deputy campaign manager David Bossie was soliciting funds from Trump supporters and only spending a fraction on direct political activities. The statement did not directly call out Bossie, but condemned "any organization that deceptively uses the President's name, likeness, trademarks or branding and confuses voters," just two days after a report focused on Bossie's group. "The President's pissed off," one source close to the campaign told CNN. The campaign's repudiation came on the same day that Trump's top campaign aides had organized a meeting at the President's Washington hotel to encourage potential fundraisers to join a new bundling program.

Source: CNN May 07, 2019 21:22 UTC