Attorney general claims Trump Foundation was his ‘piggy bank’
NEW YORK’S attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump’s foundation, claiming it served as a personal piggy bank for his businesses, legal bills and presidential campaign.
Democrat Barbara Underwood filed the suit against the Trump Foundation and its directors, Mr Trump and his children Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump.
The suit seeks $2.8m (£2.1m) in restitution and the dissolution of the foundation.
Ms Underwood said the foundation illegally helped support the Republican’s campaign by raising money at a nationally televised fundraiser in January 2016, then allowing campaign staff to dictate how the money was spent in grants.
Mr Trump insisted he would not settle the lawsuit, calling it a “ridiculous case” that former state attorney general Eric Schneiderman “never had the guts to bring” forward before he “resigned his office in disgrace”.
Trump made a similar claim that he would not settle a lawsuit charging that his Trump University misled customers, but ultimately paid a $25m (£18m) settlement last year.
The Trump Foundation said the new lawsuit is “politics at its very worst”.
The foundation defended its record, saying it had donated over $19m (£14m) to worthy charitable causes.
It said it had been planning to shut down for more than a year, but had been stopped from doing so because of the state’s investigation.
The news came as it was reported a watchdog has found former FBI director James Comey broke with protocol in his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation but his decisions were not driven by political bias.
The report from the inspector general also criticises Mr Comey for not keeping his superiors at the Justice Department, including then-attorney general Loretta Lynch, properly informed about his handling of the investigation, sources said.
The report’s findings are to be made public later on Thursday in the culmination of an 18-month review into one of the most controversial FBI investigations in recent history.
The report has long been expected to criticise the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email probe, stepping into a political minefield while examining how a non-partisan law enforcement agency became entangled in the 2016 presidential race.
President Donald Trump is looking to the report to provide a fresh line of attack against Mr Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe, as he claims that a politically tainted bureau tried to undermine his campaign and, through the later Russia investigation, his presidency.
Mr Trump is certain to try to use the report to validate his firing of Mr Comey last year.
The president was yesterday celebrating his 72nd birthday – his second in office.
The president’s eldest daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump wished him “your best year yet!!!” in a birthday tweet.
Mr Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, also celebrated the occasion on social media.
On Instagram, he posted a screenshot of a Drudge Report headline declaring, “TRUMP’S BEST BIRTHDAY!” and citing the economy, North Korea, the World Cup and the jobless rate.