Reports of misuse of funds and bogus donations have prompted the US state of New York to launch an investigation into Donald Trump's charity foundation. It's says there is evidence of "impropriety."
Image: Reuters/B. Snyder
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The inquiry aims to ensure that the Donald J. Trump Foundation complied with state laws, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told CNN on Tuesday, without providing details.
It's not the first time that Schneiderman has come head-to-head with the presidential candidate. In 2013, he sued the Republican frontrunner over the now-defunct Trump University which he described as "straight up fraud." Schneiderman is also a Democrat and supporter of Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton.
In the televised interview, however, the attorney general said his actions were not politically motivated.
"My interest in this issue really is in my capacity as regulator of nonprofits in New York state," he said. "And we have been concerned that the Trump Foundation may have engaged in some impropriety from that point of view."
Trump fined over political donation
Also on Tuesday, a group of Democratic lawmakers called for a federal investigation into a $25,000 (23,200 euro) donation from the charity to a group linked with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2013. The payment came as Bondi's office was considering suing Trump for fraud over his training center in Florida. Bondi later decided against the suit.
"After receiving these funds, Mrs. Bondi declined to further investigate Mr. Trump's business interests. This fact pattern indicates that these payments may have influenced Mrs. Bondi's official decision not to participate in litigation against Mr. Trump" the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee said in a letter.
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Trump later paid a $2,500 fine for breaking a law about charities and political contributions. His representatives claim the payment was a result of a series of clerical errors.
"A number of criminal statutes would appear to be implicated by this course of conduct," the Democrats said.
'Left-wing hit job'
The lawmakers cited reports by the Associated Press news agency that claim that Bondi personally solicited the donation. AP also claims that Trump's daughter Ivanka gave Bondi a personal check to $500 one week before the charity made the payment.
Trump's spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, confirmed that Trump and Bondi spoke before the donation, but said the two did not discuss any lawsuits. Neither side provided details on the conversation.
Florida's attorney general has said the timing of the donation was coincidental. She also called the AP report misleading.
Trump's charity foundation also faced other controversies, including reports from the Washington Post that Trump spent $20,000 of the funds to buy a six-foot (1.8-meter) high painting of himself. The newspaper also found four charities who claimed they never received money from the Donald J. Trump foundation, although the organization claims they donated to them.
According to the Post, Trump himself has not donated to his own charity since 2008.
Following Schneiderman's interview on Tuesday, the Trump campaign dismissed the probe as "nothing more than another left-wing hit job" and called the attorney general a "partisan hack."
dj/kms (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)
Trump's unpopular buildings around the world
Donald Trump's massive real estate portfolio has brought the Republican presidential nominee plenty of cash - but also headaches. DW takes a critical look at some of the billionaire's buildings around the world.
Image: Getty Images/O.Kose
Casting a long shadow in Las Vegas
The Democrats had to hold their first TV debate literally in Trump's shadow in October 2015. With the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Las Vegas towering over the luxury Wynn resort, where the TV event took place, the Republican presidential hopeful made sure that his name still got some of the attention. The Trump complex in Las Vegas is the third tallest building in town.
Image: Getty Images/J.Raedle
Opposition in Chicago
Many people in Chicago expressed their opposition to Trump's name being featured on the Trump Hotel and Tower there. Mayor Rahm Emanuel even called it "tacky and tasteless" and tried to have the letters banned. However, five years later, Donald Trump finally managed to get his name in letters across the 16th floor. The building occupies the previous site of the Chicago Sun Times.
Image: Getty Images/S. Olson
Scandal in Atlantic City
The Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was completed in 1990 at a total cost of nearly $1 billion. Donald Trump was at the helm of the casino cum hotel for almost 25 years when it came to the brink of bankruptcy in 2014. It was taken over by Icahn Enterprises, but kept the Trump branding. Its sister hotel Trump Plaza, located on the same strip, did eventually close due to insolvency.
Image: Getty Images/W.T.Cain
Towering over the streets of Manhattan
Trump Tower in New York is rumored to be Donald Trump's pride and joy. The Fifth Avenue address in Manhattan does not only provide headquarters for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but also features some well-known tenants, including soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, actor Bruce Willis and musical theater composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Trump and his family also reside in the luxury tower.
Image: picture-alliance/AA
A controversial New York landmark
With an airy atrium occupying six floors and a great deal of marble and gold detail, some New Yorkers consider Trump Tower on 725 Fifth Avenue in bad taste, while others see it as elegant and timeless. With its interiors designed by Edward Barnes Larrabe and the exteriors built by Der Scutt, Trump Tower has become a magnet for aficionados of contemporary architecture - as well as for Trump fans.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S.Reboredo
Rags and riches in Panama City
The Trump Ocean Club in Panama City features a hotel, 700 apartments and its very own yacht club. The tallest building in Latin America is recognized throughout the region for its iconic shape. The tower has attracted criticism for neighboring a poverty-ridden slum, making it difficult to find tenants. But Trump had just sold his name to developer Roger Khafif, so he hasn't lost money on it.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Arangua
Scottish resistance
Though he did build the "world's greatest golf course" - as Trump refers to his Trump International Golf Links estate near Aberdeen, Scotland - it was held up by local farmer Michael Forbes, who to this day refuses to sell his land bordering the lavish resort to the property mogul. Visiting the golf resort in June, Trump praised the UK's Brexit vote - ignoring Scotland's vote to remain in the EU.
Image: Getty Images/J.-J. Mitchell
Erdogan versus Trump
Trump Towers Istanbul are the first Trump buildings in Europe and have become famous for their massive wine cellar. But there have been calls to remove Trump's name from the skyscraper, which he only licenses out to the owner of the complex, Turkish billionaire Aydin Dogan; Trump's remarks about Islam have alienated many Muslims in Turkey, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself.
