Nov 7, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Trump agrees to pay $2 million for violating charities law

A judge has ordered President Trump and his children to pay $2 million to a group of nonprofit organizations as part of a settlement with the New York state attorney general's office involving "persistent" violations of charities law, reports CNN.

Why it matters: The lawsuit alleges that the Trumps violated state and federal campaign finance laws in 2016 by using the Donald J. Trump Foundation's tax-exempt status "as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political interests." The Trump Foundation agreed to dissolve last December in compliance with the lawsuit.

What he's saying: "Every penny of the $19 million raised by the Trump Foundation went to hundreds of great charitable causes with almost no expenses," Trump responded Thursday in a statement.

Trump accused New York Attorney General Letitia James, former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood of targeting him with "4 years of politically motivated harassment."

The bottom line: Trump said on Thursday he would be "happy to donate $2 million" — the amount ordered by Justice Saliann Scarpulla — to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Children's Aid Society, City Meals on Wheels, United Negro College Fund, United Way of Capital Area, Army Emergency Relief, Martha's Table, and Give an Hour.

Go deeper: The fall of the Trump Foundation

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Trump agrees to pay $2 million for violating charities law

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