Chris Wallace said he wouldn’t fact-check as a moderator — then Trump started on his foundation

Chris Wallace came into the third presidential debate wanting to be the invisible moderator. He had no interest in being the “truth squad,” saying he believes it is the role of the candidates to correct each other’s false statements.

For the most part, he adhered to his rule. Then came the moment Trump said that 100 percent of the Trump Foundation’s donations go to charity. Wallace jumped in:

TRUMP: I'd like to mention one thing. Trump Foundation, small foundation — people contribute, I contribute. The money — 100 percent goes to different charities, including a lot of military. I don't get anything. I don't buy boats. I don't buy planes. What happens, the money goes in —

WALLACE: Wasn't some of the money used to settle your lawsuit, sir?

TRUMP: No, we put up the American flag. And that's it. They put up the American flag. We fought for the right in Palm Beach to put up the American flag.

WALLACE: But there was a penalty imposed by Palm Beach County.

TRUMP: There was.

WALLACE: The money came from your foundation.

TRUMP: There was.

WALLACE: Instead of Mar-a-Lago.

TRUMP: Went to Fisher House, where they build houses, the money that you're talking about went to Fisher House, where they build houses for veterans and disabled.

Wallace, of course, was referring to Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold’s discovery that in 2007 Trump used donations made to the Trump Foundation to settle $120,000 in fines over the height of a flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Fahrenthold reports:

In a settlement, Palm Beach agreed to waive those fines — if Trump’s club made a $100,000 donation to a specific charity for veterans. Instead, Trump sent a check from the Donald J. Trump Foundation, a charity funded almost entirely by other people’s money, according to tax records.

According to Fahrenthold’s reporting, the incident in Palm Beach was one of multiple instances in which Trump used the foundation’s donations to settle lawsuits, amounting to more than a quarter of a million dollars from his charity going toward settlements involving his for-profit businesses.

Watch: Debates are broken, and here’s how to fix them

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via