New York's new attorney general just came down hard on President Trump, the foundation that bears his name, and his three eldest children. AG Barbara Underwood on Thursday sued all of the above, alleging that the Donald J. Trump Foundation hasn't functioned as the charity it was set up to be, reports Bloomberg. Instead, Donald Trump used it over and over again improperly for his own business and political ventures, says Underwood, adding that Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump didn't fulfill their roles as board members in stopping him. Underwood not only wants to shut down the foundation, she wants to bar Donald Trump from leading another New York charity for 10 years and his children from serving on any nonprofit boards for a year. She's also demanding Donald Trump pay $2.8 million in penalties and restitution, and that the foundation's $1 million in assets be doled out to other charities, reports the Washington Post.
"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," says Underwood. Trump already is rebutting the charges from "sleazy New York Democrats," who he says "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!" The Post highlights an exchange during the deposition of Trump Organization employee Allen Weisselberg, listed as the foundation's treasurer. Asked what policy the foundation had for determining the proper use of money, he answered, "There's no policy, just so you understand." When the interviewer asked him if he knew he'd been a board member for years, he answered, "I did not."
