Donald Trump foundation sued by New York

The New York attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the Donald J Trump charitable foundation, as well as Donald Trump himself and three of his children, claiming he violated state charity and federal election laws.

It alleges that “the Trumps used charitable assets as ‘little more than a chequebook for payments to not-for-profits from Mr Trump’ and his companies”, The Guardian reports.

Other allegations include the claim that Trump Foundation funds and assets were used to pay for a painting of Donald Trump to be hung at one of his golf clubs, and that other assets were used to settle legal claims against another of Trump’s clubs.

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“The foundation is little more than an empty shell that functions with no oversight from its board of directors,” the lawsuit alleges. “Trump ran the foundation according to whim, rather than law.”

Barbara Underwood, the state attorney general, is “asking a court to dissolve the Trump Foundation and wants $2.8 million in restitution, plus additional penalties”, CNN reports.

The lawsuit is also seeking to ban Trump from serving as a director of any New York not-for-profit for ten years, and a one-year ban for Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump.

The president has dismissed the claims made in the lawsuit as the work of “sleazy New York Democrats”, and has vowed not to pay the restitution or settle the lawsuit out of court.

But the New York attorney general has “significant investigatory and prosecutorial power”, says the BBC. “There’s no telling what she might turn up” if she begins looking deeper into Trump’s “more questionable charitable activities”.