Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Trump ordered to pay $2M in Trump Foundation settlement, admits misuse of funds

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/po...oundation-funds-in-settlement-with-ny-ag

The New York Attorney General's office announced Thursday that a judge has ordered President Trump to pay $2 million in damages for improper use of funds at the Trump Foundation in connection with the 2016 presidential primaries and his own political purposes, as part of a lawsuit Trump and the foundation settled with state Attorney General Letitia James.

James' office had requested $2.8 million in restitution and a $5.6 million penalty, but Judge Saliann Scarpulla decided $2 million was a more reasonable restitution amount and declined to issue a penalty.


As part of the settlement, Trump admitted to misusing Trump Foundation funds and agreed to limitations placed on future charitable work. If he chooses to start a new charitable organization, he would have to report it to the state attorney general's office, according to an announcement from James' office.

TRUMP FOUNDATION AGREES TO DISSOLVE AFTER LAWSUIT ALLEGED 'ILLEGAL CONDUCT'

"The Trump Foundation has shut down, funds that were illegally misused are being restored, the president will be subject to ongoing supervision by my office, and the Trump children had to undergo compulsory training to ensure this type of illegal activity never takes place again,” Attorney General Letitia James said in statement. “The court’s decision, together with the settlements we negotiated, are a major victory in our efforts to protect charitable assets and hold accountable those who would abuse charities for personal gain."

But Trump himself released a statement on Twitter on Thursday night saying James is “deliberately mischaracterizing this settlement for political purposes."

The state filed the lawsuit against the Trump Foundation in June 2018, and the settlement includes four stipulation agreements, the first of which was fulfilled when the Trump Foundation agreed to shut down in Dec. 2018. The other three stipulations were added in Oct. 2019. They include distribution of the remainder of the foundation's assets to charities approved by James' office, training for the president's children Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr., and 19 paragraphs of Trump's admissions of illegal activity.

Those admissions include failure of the foundation's board to meet or engage in proper oversight, and details regarding coordination with Trump's 2016 campaign, including a Trump Foundation fundraiser that the campaign organized, and use of foundation funds to pay legal obligations, and for a $10,000 portrait of Trump. As part of the settlement, James' office said, Donald Trump Jr. reimbursed the foundation for the portrait.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

The Attorney General's office stated that the $2 million in damages and the remaining $1.78 million that the foundation has will go to Army Emergency Relief, the Children’s Aid Society, Citymeals-on-Wheels, Give an Hour, Martha’s Table, United Negro College Fund, United Way of National Capital Area, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

In a statement, a Trump Foundation spokesperson said the foundation was "pleased to donate an additional $2 million" to those organizations.

"Following the 2016 presidential election, the Trump Foundation publicly announced its intention to voluntarily dissolve and distribute all of its remaining funds to charity," the statement said.

It continued: "Unfortunately, that donation was delayed due to the Attorney General’s politically motivated lawsuit. We are pleased that the Court, in rejecting the Attorney General’s frivolous request for statutory penalties, interest and other damages, recognized that every penny ever raised by the Trump Foundation has gone to help those most in need. Now that this matter is concluded, the Trump Foundation is proud to make this additional contribution."

Judge fines Trump $2 million for misusing charity foundation

https://q13fox.com/2019/11/07/judge-fines-trump-2-million-for-misusing-charity-foundation/

NEW YORK — A judge Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to pay $2 million to an array of charities as a fine for misusing his own charitable foundation to further his political and business interests.

New York state Judge Saliann Scarpulla imposed the penalty after the president admitted to a series of abuses outlined in a lawsuit brought against him last year by the New York attorney general’s office.

Among other things, Trump acknowledged in a legal filing that he allowed his presidential campaign staff to coordinate with the Trump Foundation in holding a fundraiser for veterans during the run-up to the 2016 Iowa caucuses. The event was designed “to further Mr. Trump’s political campaign,” Scarpulla said.

In a defiant statement issued Thursday evening, though, Trump suggested he was neither sorry nor in the wrong.

“I am the only person I know, perhaps the only person in history, who can give major money to charity (19M), charge no expense, and be attacked by the political hacks in New York State,” he wrote.

He assailed a series of Democratic attorneys general of New York who were involved with the suit, saying they should have spent their time investigating the Clinton Foundation.

“It has been 4 years of politically motivated harassment,” Trump said.

Trump’s foundation will be dissolved and its $1.7 million in remaining funds will be given to other nonprofits, under agreements reached by Trump’s lawyers and the attorney general’s office.

As part of those agreements , made public Thursday, the two sides left it up to the judge to decide what penalty Trump should pay.

The settlement was an about-face for Trump. He had tweeted, “I won’t settle this case!” when it was filed in June 2018.

Trump’s fine and the charity’s funds will be split evenly among eight organizations, including Citymeals on Wheels, the United Negro College Fund and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Attorney General Letitia James welcomed the resolution of the case as a “major victory in our efforts to protect charitable assets and hold accountable those who would abuse charities for personal gain.”

“No one is above the law — not a businessman, not a candidate for office, and not even the President of the United States,” said James, a Democrat.

The president admitted, among other things, to arranging for the charity to pay $10,000 for a 6-foot portrait of him. He also agreed to pay back $11,525 in foundation funds that he spent on sports memorabilia and champagne at a charity gala.

Trump also accepted restrictions on his involvement in other charitable organizations. His three eldest children, who were members of the foundation’s board, must undergo mandatory training on the duties of those who run charities.

Charities are barred from getting involved in political campaigns, but in weighing the Iowa fundraiser, Scarpulla gave Trump credit for making good on his pledge to give $2.8 million that his charity raised to veterans’ organizations.

Instead of fining him that amount, as the attorney general’s office wanted, the judge trimmed it to $2 million and rejected a demand for punitive damages and interest.

The Trump Foundation said it was pleased by those decisions, claiming that the judge “recognized that every penny ever raised by the Trump Foundation has gone to help those most in need.”

Trump Foundation lawyer Alan Futerfas said the nonprofit has distributed approximately $19 million over the past decade, including $8.25 million of the president’s own money, to hundreds of charitable organizations.

At the time of the Iowa fundraiser, Trump was feuding with then-Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and refusing to participate in the network’s final Republican presidential primary debate before the Iowa caucuses.

Instead, he held a rally at the same time as the debate at which he called on people to donate to veterans’ charities. The foundation acted as a pass-through for those contributions.

James said the evidence of banned coordination between campaign officials and the foundation included emails exchanged with then-Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

In one email, a Trump company vice president asked Lewandowski for guidance on precisely how to distribute the money raised.

Trump also admitted in the agreements to directing that $100,000 in foundation money be used to settle legal claims over an 80-foot flagpole he had built at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, instead of paying the expense out of his own pocket.

In addition, the foundation paid $158,000 to resolve a lawsuit over a prize for a hole-in-one contest at a Trump-owned golf course, and $5,000 for ads promoting Trump’s hotels in the programs for charitable events. Trump admitted these transactions were also improper.

As part of the settlement, Donald Trump Jr. reimbursed the Trump Foundation for the cost of the portrait.

Total bull chit.

Year old news.



I sure can't blame him for shutting down any damned thing in NY.

You sure hate Trump.

Who did you vote for in 2016?

Who you pulling for this time?

Maybe you are in the wrong spot for your trolling?

When is someone going after the millions that the Clinton's misused in their pay for play scheme? Why are blatant Democrat abuses of power, etc, gone after? Deep State? Big government employees have been very crooked since the Clinton's were in the White House.

From crime to politics. Easy transition.
MAGA

It's unfortunate that Trump is the only politician saying the things that need to be said and doing the things that need to be done. As a person I don't particularly like him but none of the others have as good of a message.

LOL.

Yeah, you trollbots know what crime is after 8 years of Obama and Hillary.

Yawn.

Agree with the above except "doing the things that need to be done".
He hasn't changed things.

Hurry UP, Ruth!

Tell us again how he's not changed anything.

He questioned the hillary foundation so in typical bolshevik fashion they went after his foundation. He gave them 2 million to go away.

Why i'll put him up against any politician when it comes to special interests, lying, cheating and stealing.

I’ll bet you will jack off all week in front of your Bernie Sanders poster over that news.

It's not old news, the order just came out on Thursday, per the article. He tried to shut it down because he got caught playing fast and loose with the money. Just putting up data shouldn't imply hate for Trump. You've got to take the good with the bad, and decide for yourself where the balance is.

I thought Rick Perry was going to be the nominee in 2016. I was wrong.

Trump plays fast and loose with money, his money not so much, other peoples money for sure.

It's worth keeping a close eye on any sitting president, and not get into the hero-worship mode with any of them, regardless of party.

Sycamore

As the world turns.
Trump gives his Trumpsters an empty MAGA.
In return the Trumpsters KHA.

Kicked hiLIARy’s Ass!

Ah a typo!
Should be KTA.

"Must...get...Trump!.....gasp...sob...