“The Grift and Greed I’ve Witnessed Makes Me Sick”: Trump Campaign Whistleblower Speaks Out on Alleged Mismanagement

A former ad buyer for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign has come forward with claims of “grift and greed” within the campaign’s highest ranks, alleging that senior officials may have funneled millions of dollars toward outside firms at inflated rates. Speaking anonymously to The Daily Beast, the former employee described a culture of deep distrust, claiming her termination followed attempts to raise concerns over the handling of campaign finances.

The whistleblower reported sending an email after her October 18 firing, in which she laid out suspicions that senior leaders Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles were allocating campaign funds inefficiently. According to her, these funds, which she believed were entrusted by loyal donors, were directed toward external companies, potentially costing the campaign millions in excess charges.

“The grift and greed I’ve witnessed makes me sick and I think leadership has been bad stewards of generous donors’ money,” she wrote in an email to a former colleague. Despite her criticisms, she stressed, “I’m 100% on Team Trump — I want the very best for this campaign, but what I’ve witnessed is greedy and wrong.”

The former ad buyer also highlighted what she described as a climate of paranoia within Trump’s West Palm Beach campaign headquarters. She claimed that staff were suspicious of a possible “listening device” in a conference room, leading Chief Financial Officer Sean Dollman and other team members to search the area. “[Dollman] has alluded to the fact that he can’t say things for fear of retaliation,” she revealed.

“There are napkins stuffed in all the gaps in the conference room now. It seems like they’re willing to go to extremes.” The whistleblower’s concerns reportedly deepened over the summer when she noticed Wiles and LaCivita bypassing the in-house Launchpad firm, for which she worked, in favor of contracts with Strategic Media Services and Zeta Global.

According to sources close to her, she believed these outside firms were overcharging for digital advertising, particularly pointing to Zeta Global, run by Democratic donor David Steinberg. She stated that Zeta Global billed the Trump campaign $20 million for ad placements — a stark contrast to the $13.9 million she claimed Launchpad would have charged.

However, in response to the allegations, Dollman defended the firing, telling The Daily Beast, “Launchpad made the decision to terminate her for spreading rumors about clients and repeatedly showing poor judgment.” He declined to provide further details.

While the former staffer did not directly accuse LaCivita or Wiles of profiting personally from these arrangements, her claims cast a shadow over the campaign’s financial stewardship at a critical time for Trump’s bid for re-election.