The Donald J. Trump Foundation does not have the certification New York requires for charities to solicit money from the public, the state attorney general's office told The Washington Post.
Under New York law, any charity that solicits more than $25,000 a year from the public must obtain registration beforehand, reports David Fahrenthold, and a charity the size of the Trump Foundation must also submit to an audit that asks if it spent any money to personally benefit its officers. The Trump Foundation was established in 1987 as a way for Trump to give away proceeds from his book, The Art of the Deal, but began taking donations from others in the early 2000s. One example of public solicitation took place earlier this year, when the Trump Foundation asked for donations online to give to veterans, later saying it raised $1.67 million through the site. Tax filings also show that each year during the past decade, the foundation raised more than $25,000 from outsiders, the Post reports. The Trump campaign did not respond to the Post's request for comment.
If New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D), who is already looking into the charity, finds that the Trump Foundation violated the law while raising money, he could order the foundation to immediately stop its fundraising efforts, and with a court's permission, it could be ordered to give back the money it has raised. One expert in charity law told Fahrenthold he was surprised by Trump's rookie move. "He's a billionaire who acts like a thousandaire," said James J. Fishman, a professor at Pace University's law school in White Plains, New York. "You wouldn't expect somebody who's supposed to be sophisticated, and brags about his business prowess, would run his foundation like this."
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