Trump couldn't have become a billionaire if not at least part grifter; but if he'd really broken the law then one of the half dozen or so 'investigations' launched against him with the full power and resources of federal and state and local government WOULD have convicted him; thus, he's probably a mostly honest conman.
As for this wannabe senator, he was probably bought off by the Dem Party to throw the race for the benefit of his Dem opposition candidate. Otherwise there would be absolutely NO political sense to his career suicide tactic in today's pro-Trump G.O.P climate.