SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Some questions are being raised about a $10,000 donation that billionaire Donald Trump gave to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to help pay off his campaign debts.

Trump gave the money a little more than a month after the governor guest-starred on Trump's TV show "The Apprentice: Los Angeles," according to a campaign filing.

In an episode that aired March 18, Schwarzenegger hosted five of the show's contestants in his private conference room at the state Capitol.

The governor denied any link between the donation and the television appearance, but some political watchdog groups are skeptical.

The donation was Trump's first to Schwarzenegger, whom he described as a great friend when he told a group of contenders that they would meet California's governor as a reward for winning a competition.