NY Attorney General to Trump Foundation: Stop Raising Money Now
(COMMON DREAMS) Andrea Germanos, October 4, 2016 — Citing violation of state law, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office on Monday said that it ordered the Trump Foundation to immediately stop raising money.
The Notice of Violation (pdf) his office sent Friday said that the foundation raised money in the state in 2016 but had failed to register as required with the Charities Bureau and provide yearly financial reports and audited financial statements.
The notice orders the foundation to provide the Charities Bureau the required information within 15 days, and, “To the extent that the Trump Foundation has engaged in solicitation or fundraising activity in New York in other years, the Trump Foundation must file all delinquent financial reports as required by section 172-b [of Article 7-A of the Executive Law] for such years within fifteen (15) days of this notice.”
Failure to do so “shall be deemed to be a continuing fraud upon the people of the state of New York,” the notice states.
It was sent on the heels of reporting by the Washington Post that said that the foundation had failed to properly register in New York. The Post also noted that “Schneiderman had previously launched an investigation of the foundation in the wake of reports by The Washington Post that Trump used his charity’s money to make a political gift, to buy paintings of himself and to settle legal disputes involving his for-profit businesses.”
“When evidence of clear misconduct is brought to our attention, we take action,” an attorney general’s office spokesman said to NBC News.
The Trump campaign, meanwhile, expressed concern “about the political motives behind A.G. Schneiderman’s investigation.”
Noting the New York Times story this weekend showing Trump may have avoided paying federal income tax for 18 years, his ongoing attacks on a former Miss Universe, and his apparent accusation that rival Hillary Clinton is cheating on her husband, the Huffington Post describes the investigation as merely “another political blow to the GOP presidential nominee, who has suffered an extraordinarily bad run since his disappointing debate performance last week.”