New York attorney general says Trump can't dissolve foundation while it's under investigation

The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday that Donald Trump won't be able to close down his charitable foundation after all.

"The Trump foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete," said Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Trump said over the weekend he would dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation, amid criticism from many who believe it will be a conflict of interest once he is inaugurated. Schneiderman launched the investigation several months ago, after The Washington Post reported on the some of the foundation's purchases — including an enormous, $20,000 painting of Trump.

On Nov. 18, someone using an email address from the foundation's law firm posted to the GuideStar nonprofit monitoring website the foundation's 2015 tax filing, which showed that Trump used the charity to settle lawsuits and make a $25,000 political contribution, The Associated Press reports. While the tax filing reveals the foundation violated regulations against using money and assets to benefit Trump and his family in 2015 and previous years, it does not go into detail about the infractions, AP says.

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