According to a spokesperson from the N.Y. Attorney General Office, Donald Trump\u2019s charity foundation never obtained certification to solicit donations from the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Trump Foundation must immediately cease soliciting contributions or engaging in any other fundraising activities in New York,\u201d wrote James Sheehan, the Chief of the Charities Bureau, in a “notice of violation”\u00a0last Friday.<\/p>\n
Special certification is explicitly required by the state of New York for any charity that asks for more than $25,000 per year. Additionally, charities as large as the Trump Foundation must also pass a rigorous inspection which investigates whether the charity allocates any money towards the benefit of its officers.<\/p>\n
After news broke last Friday that the Trump Foundation lacks the proper paperwork, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has forced Trump\u2019s charity to stop collecting money. He could also potentially force Trump to return all of the money that has been raised so far.<\/p>\n
Officials suspect Trump of laundering the donated money and using it for his personal use, with Sheehan warning\u00a0that \u201cThe failure immediately to discontinue solicitation and to file information and reports shall be deemed a fraud upon the people of the state of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Trump himself has not addressed the controversy, Hope Hicks (a Trump campaign spokeswoman) accused the attorney general of bias on Monday, saying \u201cWhile we remain very concerned about the political motives behind A. G. Schneiderman\u2019s investigation, the Trump Foundation nevertheless intends to cooperate fully with the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schneiderman has indeed endorsed Clinton.<\/p>\n
However, this is not the first time Trump\u2019s namesake foundation has violated tax laws. Back in 2013, the foundation gave money to a fundraising group supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, despite regulations that nonprofit groups may not use political gifts to support any political affairs.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Trump\u2019s charity then filed a tax filing which deleted any instance of that political donation, and then incorrectly stated that the money had gone towards a charity in Kansas.<\/p>\n
“There’s a problem first of all with a charity giving a political contribution,” said\u00a0Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, “and then it looks like there’s a problem with giving false information to the IRS.”<\/p>\n
The Trump foundation was cited this September for the violation, and\u00a0the businessman\u00a0had to pay a $2,500 penalty tax for his\u00a0political contribution.<\/p>\n
But when asked whether his charity followed the law earlier this fall, Trump maintained its legality.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I hope so,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, my lawyers do it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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