The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. December 22, 2016 Eric Trump Stops Soliciting Donations Amid Influence Peddling Charges --------------------------------------------------------------------- Donald Trump's son Eric said Wednesday he would no longer solicit donations to his charitable foundation, after critics accused him of peddling influence in exchange for donations. One online fundraising auction for the Eric Trump Foundation offered a chance to have coffee with his sister, Ivanka Trump. It had bids approaching $70,000 before the auction was called off. Eric Trump's promise to cease soliciting funds came after the Center for Public Integrity revealed that Eric and Donald Trump Jr. recently founded a separate charity, called the Opening Day Foundation, which drafted invitations offering million-dollar donors a chance to meet the new president at a private reception, as well as a hunting trip with one of Trump's sons. The Trump transition team later said the invitations were "initial concepts that have not been approved or pursued by the Trump family." .