Trump Charitable Foundation Was Illegally Used to Support Campaign, Underwood Alleges in Suit
The lawsuit alleges the foundation was illegally used to support Trump's 2016 bid for president, pay off the president's legal obligations, promote Trump brands and purchase personal items.
June 14, 2018 at 12:27 PM
2 minute read
on Saturday,” Lewandowski wrote in an email to Allen Weisselberg, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Trump Organization and treasurer of the foundation. The Iowa caucuses were held the following Monday. Weisselberg confirmed during testimony to the attorney general's office that the Trump campaign directed him when and where to distribute funds from the foundation during the 2016 election.
The foundation has had little oversight for almost two decades, the AG's lawsuit says. The board of directors has not held a meeting since 1999 and has not overseen any actions taken by Trump and his children with the foundation. The board also failed to obtain annual reports on the foundation's activities, as required by law.
The foundation was used to settle five self-dealing transactions that benefited Trump or his businesses, the lawsuit says. Those included a $100,000 payment to settle legal claims against the Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump's private club in Florida. The payment was made to a charitable foundation to settle legal claims with the city of Palm Beach, Florida. A $158,000 payment was made in 2012 to the Martin B. Greenberg Foundation to settle legal claims against the Trump National Golf Club, Westchester, in Briarcliff Manor, New York. Three other payments of $32,000 or less were made to other charitable organizations to settle legal disputes as well. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal challenges to Trump and his administration from New York's attorney general since Trump took office in 2017.
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