Trump Foundation accused of "vast illegal activity"

New York attorney general sues Trump Foundation, alleging vast illegal activity
NBC News
by Jane C. Timm
Jun.14.2018

The lawsuit seeks $2.8 million in restitution and additional penalties.

President-elect Donald Trump with his children Eric, left, Ivanka and Donald Jr. at Trump Tower on Jan. 11, 2017.Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images file

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood sued President Donald Trump and his charitable foundation on Thursday, alleging that the president and his adult children illegally used it for personal, business, and political expenses.

The lawsuit alleges illegal activity that took place over more than a decade, including "extensive unlawful political coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing transactions to benefit Mr. Trump's personal and business interests, and violations of basic legal obligations for nonprofit foundations," according to a statement from the attorney general's office.

The suit accuses the president, along with Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., of violating multiple counts of state and federal law. The New York attorney general's office began looking into the Trump Foundation in the summer of 2016, following an investigation by The Washington Post into the then-candidate's philanthropy.

Charity funds were also used to purchase personal items (including a $10,000 painting of Trump that was displayed in a Trump building, another incident of self-dealing, according to the petition), and influence the president's 2016 campaign, the suit said.
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