DC says inaugural committee spending enriched Trump

WASHINGTON >> Donald Trump’s inaugural committee spent more than $1 million to book a ballroom at the Trump International Hotel in the nation’s capital as part of a scheme to “grossly overpay” for party space and enrich his own family in the process, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

The District of Columbia’s attorney general, Karl Racine, said the committee misused nonprofit funds and coordinated with the hotel’s management and members of the Trump family to arrange the events. He said one of the event’s planners raised concerns about pricing with Trump, daughter Ivanka Trump and Rick Gates, a top campaign official at the time.

“District law requires nonprofits to use their funds for their stated public purpose,” Racine said. “In this case, we are seeking to recover the nonprofit funds that were improperly funneled directly to the Trump family business.”

— The Associated Press