New York attorney general sues Donald J. Trump Foundation

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced on June 14 a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation by alleging a pattern of “persistent illegal conduct” within the president’s eponymous charity.

The lawsuit, filed on June 14 in state Supreme Court alleges that the nonprofit has run afoul of state and federal law, including improper political activity, self-dealing and violations of fiduciary obligations. The suit seeks to dissolve the foundation and collect $2.8 million in restitution, plus damages as well as imposing a 10-year ban on Trump from serving on a nonprofit board and similar one-year bans on his children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka.

Underwood alleges that Trump used the foundation’s assets for his own benefit, including for paying legal fees, promoting his businesses and purchasing items for personal use. Possible violations of federal law were referred to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission, according to a press release.

“As our investigation reveals, the Trump Foundation was little more than a checkbook for payments from Mr. Trump or his businesses to nonprofits, regardless of their purpose or legality,” Underwood said in a statement. “This is not how private foundations should function and my office intends to hold the Foundation and its directors accountable for its misuse of charitable assets.”

Soon after the announcement, Trump responded to the lawsuit via Twitter.  
 

The sleazy New York Democrats, and their now disgraced (and run out of town) A.G. Eric Schneiderman, are doing everything they can to sue me on a foundation that took in $18,800,000 and gave out to charity more money than it took in, $19,200,000. I won’t settle this case!...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2018

....Schneiderman, who ran the Clinton campaign in New York, never had the guts to bring this ridiculous case, which lingered in their office for almost 2 years. Now he resigned his office in disgrace, and his disciples brought it when we would not settle.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2018