Donald Trump’s former White House aide is under fire after a video showed him claiming to distribute fake money to homeless people so that they will be arrested when they spend it.

Johnny McEntee, formerly the White House Presidential Personnel Office under the former president, posted a video on TikTok in which he discusses the purported scheme to “clean up the community.”

“So I always keep this fake Hollywood money in my car, so when a homeless person asks for money, and I give them like a $5 bill, I feel good about myself, they feel good,” said McEntee, also a senior advisor to Project 2025. “And then when they go to use it, they get arrested, so I’m actually helping to clean up the community and get them off the street.”

      • refalo@programming.dev
        17·
        6 months ago

        and even less people know that movie money isn’t prosecutable without proving it was intentional.

          • refalo@programming.dev
            18·
            6 months ago

            someone would have to prove you did it on purpose knowing it was fake, and that requires getting arrested and charged in the first place and making it all the way to court

            • octopus_ink@lemmy.mlEnglish
              121·
              6 months ago

              You mean like making a video where you say you are hoping people will try to use it as legal tender, and are distributing it for that express purpose?

                • octopus_ink@lemmy.mlEnglish
                  81·
                  6 months ago

                  Uh, distributing known fake bills that you intend people to use as legal tender? Is this a trick question?

                  Edit: you will probably have the same response here as elsewhere.

              • refalo@programming.dev
                19·
                6 months ago

                admit what? handing people prop money? there’s nothing illegal with that or even proof he actually did it. not trying to defend anyone but just saying. these strawmen are a bit silly IMO

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
                  71·
                  6 months ago

                  I’m not sure why you missed this quote, but apparently you did:

                  “So I always keep this fake Hollywood money in my car, so when a homeless person asks for money, and I give them like a $5 bill, I feel good about myself, they feel good,” said McEntee, also a senior advisor to Project 2025. “And then when they go to use it, they get arrested, so I’m actually helping to clean up the community and get them off the street.”

                  He is blatantly admitting passing off fake money as real money.

                  • refalo@programming.dev
                    18·
                    6 months ago

                    “passing off” implies trying to spend it yourself, knowing it’s fake. which isn’t happening here.