New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $2.8 million in restitution and $5.6 million in damages from Trump for breaking “some of the most basic laws that apply to private foundations.”
Under an agreement with the New York Attorney General and a state court, Donald Trump’s private foundation is being dissolved and residual assets of about $1.75 million are being given to charities approved by a state judge and the AG’s office.
The uses and abuses of the Trump Foundation have been reviewed extensively. But court cases take longer to bring, and the N.Y. Attorney General’s office appears determined to bring one now—potentially, if reports are to be believed, with the help of insider Michael Cohen.
When abrogation of responsibilities under the law occurs over an extended period of time, any private foundation should expect to be called to account. When they appear to be calculated and exploitive of tax exemption and the public’s trust, it may rise to another level. So it is for the Trump Foundation.
As this Voices from the Field piece shows, while it is easy to laugh at the travails of the Trump Foundation, now fully exposed by a lawsuit filed by the New York state attorney general’s office, now is also a good time to look in the mirror and make sure our own nonprofit management and governance practices are up to snuff.
While Trump’s defense of the suit against his foundation is that he is being singled out, recent cases in other states indicate this suit is not out of the norm.
