Jun 14, 2018 · The New York attorney general, Letitia James, is seeking to question Mr. Trump under oath in a civil fraud investigation of his business practices. Beyond the restitution, the foundation and its...
Jun 14, 2018 · New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood is suing the Donald J. Trump Foundation and its board of directors over what she calls "extensive and persistent violations of federal law," her office...
Jun 14, 2018 · By Jonathan Stempel. NEW YORK, June 14 (Reuters) - New York’s attorney general sued U.S. President Donald Trump, three of his children and his namesake foundation on Thursday, alleging “persistently illegal conduct” at the nonprofit, including support for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Barbara Underwood, the attorney general, asked a New York state …
Jun 14, 2018 · Attorney General Underwood Announces Lawsuit Against Donald J. Trump Foundation And Its Board Of Directors For Extensive And Persistent Violations Of State And Federal Law Lawsuit Seeks Restitution of $2.8 Million Plus Penalties
Schneiderman had pursued a number of cases against Trump, including one over Trump University, in which Trump agreed to pay a $25 million settlement. The attorney general's investigation of the Trump Foundation began in June 2016, according to the lawsuit.
The petition says the foundation has no written criteria or protocol for the grants it considers or approves and that "Mr. Trump ran the Foundation according to his whim rather than the law.". In addition to the penalties and dissolution of the foundation, the lawsuit seeks to ban President Trump from serving as director ...
New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood is suing the Donald J. Trump Foundation and its board of directors over what she calls "extensive and persistent violations of federal law," her office announced Thursday.
The Attorney General’s investigation found that Trump Foundation raised in excess of $2.8 million in a manner designed to influence the 2016 presidential election at the direction and under the control of senior leadership of the Trump presidential campaign.
The Attorney General also sent referral letters today to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission, identifying possible violations of federal law for further investigation and legal action by those federal agencies.
If they are found guilty, the Trumps could potentially be forced to pay a US$2.8 million fine because Underwood’s office said that the foundation funneled at least that amount to Trump’s presidential campaign. They may also have to dissolve the foundation – something that the Trump family has already said it plans to do.
For example, the Wounded Warrior Project – a public charity – was accused in 2016 of lavishing millions of dollars of donations on its own leaders. This resulted in a Senate investigation and sharp declines in donations but no prosecution or formal punishment. 4.
By contrast, the Trump family, according to in-depth reporting by The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold and other journalists, has brazenly and repeatedly broken charitable laws, even going so far as to use foundation money to buy a portrait of Donald Trump that was displayed at one of Trump’s private clubs.
When foundations originated in the early 1900s, some benefactors abused their philanthropic operations. The Rockefeller and Sage foundations, for example, originally served as tax havens for their founders’ fortunes in addition to charitable purposes.
Editor’s note: New York state Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood is suing Donald Trump’s foundation and its board of directors over an alleged “pattern of persistent illegal conduct.” Megan Tompkins-Stange, a University of Michigan public policy professor, explains what the repercussions might be for the Trump family.
All 501 (c) (3) private foundations, including the one bearing Trump’s name, make grants. Often controlled by members of a single family, these foundations are relatively unaccountable to the public. Their sole formal responsibility to the public is to comply with IRS regulations.
Megan Tompkins-Stange does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.