In addition to the potential self dealing and other possible violations that are being investigated by the NY AG, it has now come to light that the Trump Foundation doesn’t even hold the certification required by law to solicit donations.
Fahrenthold, who has reported extensively on the shady dealings of the Trump Foundation reports:
Trump Foundation lacks the certification required for charities that solicit money
Donald Trump’s charitable foundation — which has been sustained for years by donors outside the Trump family — has never obtained the certification that New York requires before charities can solicit money from the public, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Under the laws in New York, where the Donald J. Trump Foundation is based, any charity that solicits more than $25,000 per year from the public must obtain a special kind of registration beforehand. Charities as large as Trump’s must also submit to a rigorous annual audit that asks — among other things — whether the charity spent any money for the personal benefit of its officers.
If New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) finds that Trump’s foundation raised money in violation of the law, he could order the charity to stop raising money immediately. With a court’s permission, Schneiderman could also force Trump to return money his foundation has already raised.
For a Law & Order candidate, Trump certainly has little regard for the law.
Friday, Sep 30, 2016 · 2:06:28 PM +00:00
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igualdad
The NYT has published an Op-Ed this morning on other troubling aspects of the Trump Foundation’s illegal operations. Of particular interest is that the foundation is not deserving of a tax exempt status:
An Uncharitable Foundation
The foundation’s returns also tell us something about Mr. Trump’s charitable giving, which his personal returns would more fully reveal: He may not be very generous. Mr. Trump’s most recent contribution to the foundation was $30,000 in 2008. No member of the Trump family has made a donation since. The candidate may have given to other charities directly, but he will have to release his personal returns for voters to know for sure.
Violations of these rules are an affront to all charities. The I.R.S. and the attorney general of New York, Eric Schneiderman, who is investigating the foundation to determine whether it complied with state law, should hold it to the highest standard. If the reported violations prove true, the foundation does not deserve its charitable or tax-exempt status.
Americans who give to, volunteer with, or depend on charities should know that politicking and self-dealing by charities are never acceptable. The candidate’s apparent disregard for the law does not bode well for a Trump administration.