New York attorney general opens investigation of Trump Foundation


On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) announced that an investigation has been opened into whether the Donald J. Trump Foundation is "complying with the laws governing charities in New York."
The foundation was started by Trump in 1988 to give away proceeds from his book The Art of the Deal. "My interest in this issue really is in my capacity as regulator of nonprofits in New York State," Schneiderman told CNN's Jake Tapper. "And we have been concerned that the Trump Foundation may have engaged in some impropriety from that point of view. And we've inquired into it and we've had correspondence with them. I didn't make a big deal out of it or hold a press conference."
Earlier this month, The Washington Post published a story saying tax records show Trump has not made a donation to the foundation since 2008, and he paid a $2,500 penalty to the IRS for making a political donation to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) in 2013 through the foundation. In 2013, Schneiderman filed a fraud lawsuit against Trump University.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
July 15 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include the dangers of a deficit, Putin shooting fish in a barrel, Kermit the Frog, and Barack Obama's message to Democrats
-
Mortgage reform: is Rachel Reeves betting the house on City rules shake-up?
Today's Big Question Reforms could create up to 36,000 additional mortgages next year
-
The 'extraordinary' trials of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon
The Explainer Couple claim they were 'misunderstood' after going on the run with newborn baby
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off