Audit EXPOSES Newsom’s $100M Scam

Scam text overlaid on distorted 100 dollar bill

A major audit of the $100 million FireAid concert fund has exposed the shocking truth behind Governor Newsom’s disaster relief scheme, clearing allegations of fraud but revealing how desperate fire victims were systematically denied direct cash assistance while politically connected nonprofits received millions.

Story Highlights

Independent Latham & Watkins audit clears FireAid of fraud but confirms zero direct payments to individual wildfire victims
$75 million already distributed to over 160 nonprofits instead of suffering Palisades and Eaton fire survivors
President Trump and Rep. Kevin Kiley expose the “Democrat inspired scam” that prioritized organizational partnerships over victim relief
Fire victims like Spencer Pratt accused Newsom’s Cal Vols program of misusing grant funds meant for disaster recovery

Audit Reveals Systematic Diversion from Direct Victim Aid

The recently released Latham & Watkins audit confirms what conservatives suspected all along about FireAid’s $100 million relief fund. While clearing the organization of outright fraud, the report exposes how the entire system was designed to funnel money through nonprofits rather than directly helping devastated families. The audit found “no fraudulent intent or deviation from mission,” but that mission never included putting cash in the hands of people who lost everything in the Palisades and Eaton wildfires.

FireAid distributed $75 million to approximately 160 nonprofits, schools, and community groups, with plans to distribute the remaining $25 million by year-end 2025. The organization’s spokesperson Chris Wallace defended this approach, claiming logistical constraints prevented direct individual payments. This bureaucratic excuse rings hollow for families still struggling to rebuild their lives while watching their donated relief funds disappear into the nonprofit industrial complex.

Political Theater Exposed as Victims Suffer

The controversy reached a boiling point when President Trump called out the operation as a “Democrat inspired scam” on Truth Social, highlighting how $100 million in donations failed to reach individual victims. Republican Representative Kevin Kiley demanded a Department of Justice investigation in July 2025, questioning whether fire victims actually benefited from the widely publicized fundraising effort. Governor Newsom’s defensive response and calls for transparency came only after intense political pressure exposed the flawed distribution model.

Celebrity fire victim Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, publicly accused Newsom’s Cal Vols program of misusing grant funds on Instagram. His firsthand account represents thousands of victims who watched celebrity-backed fundraising events generate massive donations while they received no direct financial assistance. The Pacific Palisades Community Council’s inquiries in May 2025 confirmed what many suspected: no direct individual payments were ever planned, despite public expectations created by the high-profile benefit concert.

Nonprofit Industrial Complex Benefits While Families Wait

The FireAid model exemplifies everything wrong with modern disaster relief, prioritizing institutional partnerships over individual liberty and direct assistance. Organizations like the LA Regional Food Bank, Door of Hope, and various Annenberg-linked groups received substantial grants to provide services like food distribution and mental health support. While these services helped some people, the approach represents a fundamental rejection of allowing victims to make their own decisions about rebuilding their lives with direct financial assistance.

FireAid organizers, including Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff and his wife Shelli, created a 501(c)(3) structure that guaranteed funds would flow through established nonprofit channels. Goldman Sachs provided vetting services for recipient organizations, ensuring the money stayed within approved institutional frameworks rather than empowering individual victims. Some nonprofit recipients even violated FireAid’s no-administrative-costs rule, requiring corrections that further delayed actual victim assistance.

The timing of this audit release, coinciding with the Palisades Fire anniversary, serves as a stark reminder of how government-adjacent relief efforts consistently fail American families in their darkest hours. While the audit technically clears FireAid of fraud, it confirms a more troubling reality: a system designed to benefit institutional actors while leaving actual victims dependent on bureaucratic charity rather than direct empowerment through cash assistance.