Donald Trump’s charitable foundation was ordered on Monday to stop fundraising immediately in New York. The state’s attorney general determined that the foundation was in violation of state law after it was found to be soliciting donations without appropriate authorization, the Washington Post reports.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation, of which Donald Trump is president, was sent a notice of violation by the attorney general’s office.
The Washington Post previously reported that the Republican nominee’s foundation failed to register as charity soliciting money in the state of New York. By not registering, the foundation was able to circumvent annual audits required by state charities that seek funds from the public. The yearly audit would have questioned whether the foundation’s money had been used to Donald Trump’s benefit.
The Trump Foundation has been ordered to provide the state with all of the necessary legal paperwork to register as a charity soliciting money within 15 days. The foundation must also determine whether it violated state law in previous years by soliciting money without proper authorization. If it did, the foundation must also provide the state with the required audit reports due for each of those years. These reports are also due within 15 days.
Trump’s campaign said it was concerned about the “political motives” behind the attorney general’s investigation, but it would cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has endorsed Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.
According to the Washington Post, legal experts say the move from the attorney general’s office is a common reaction in cases where charities are soliciting money from the public without proper authorization.
“You have to register with the attorney general if you’re going to raise money from the public,” said Daniel Kurtz, former head of the New York attorney general’s charities bureau. “This would happen to anybody.”
Trump has said in the past that he relies on lawyers to ensure that his foundation is running in accordance with the law. But between 1990 and 2014, tax records show the foundation spent a mere $211 on lawyers.
