As part of a deal in which former president Donald Trump acknowledged misusing money raised by the Donald J. Trump Foundation to further his presidential run and repay business debts, the attorney general of New York State ordered Trump to pay $2 million to eight charitable organizations in 2019. As per The NYTimes , under the terms of the settlement, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump, the three children of the Republican leader who served as foundation executives, were required to complete the required training to prevent them from committing the same crimes in the future.
“Charities are not a means to an end, which is why these damages speak to the president’s abuse of power and represent a victory for not-for-profits that follow the law,” the attorney general, Letitia James, stated back then. “Funds have finally gone where they deserve — to eight credible charities.” In court filings, the 2024 presidential hopeful acknowledged using the foundation money to pay off debts owed by his companies and even to buy a picture of himself. Additionally, Trump’s attorneys consented to sell the remaining over $1.7 million in assets of the Trump Foundation and distribute the proceeds to the same charity organizations that are unrelated to his family.
The United Negro College Fund, the United Way of the National Capital Area, the Children’s Aid Society, the Army Emergency Relief, Give an Hour, Citymeals on Wheels, Martha’s Table, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum were among the nonprofit organizations that benefited from the contributions. They all took home $476,140.01 in total. The foundation’s lawyers, Marc Mukasey and Alan Futerfas, stated that the AG “doesn’t want the media to focus on the massive trial they lost today.”
“Our case was amicably resolved weeks ago,” the statement said. “The judge commended both parties for the resolution. The legacy of the Trump Foundation — which gave away many millions to those most in need at virtually no cost — is secure.” At first, dismissing the lawsuit as a political attack, Trump made 19 specific admissions as part of the settlement. He acknowledged, for example, that the foundation had paid for the $10,000 painting of himself that was eventually hung in one of his Florida properties. The GOP runner acknowledged that he had paid off debts from several of his for- profit businesses, such as a golf club in Westchester County, New York, and his private Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, with funds from the foundation.
Trump even acknowledged that the organization had transferred control of roughly $2.8 million that the foundation had raised during an Iowa veterans fund-raiser in January 2016 to his presidential campaign. The billionaire even admitted that the fund-raiser was actually a political gathering. Established by Trump in 1987, the Trump Foundation was dissolved in December 2018 following an inquiry conducted by Barbara Underwood, the acting attorney general of New York at the time. “Unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign , repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more” were discovered by the AG office.