The Donald J. Trump Foundation has been ordered to stop fundraising in New York by the attorney general’s office, which has warned that continuing to solicit public donations would be “continuing fraud,” Reuters reports.
The notice of violation is the latest blow to Trump’s campaign, which has been in damage control mode since the presidential debate one week ago. A recent New York Times report suggests that Trump has not paid any federal income taxes for nearly 20 years.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman determined that Donald Trump’s foundation was in violation of state law because it failed to register as a charity soliciting public donations with the office’s Charities Bureau.
Trump’s campaign has suggested that they attorney general’s investigation was politically motivated. Schneiderman, a Democrat, has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
The probe into Trump’s foundation was sparked by a report from the Washington Post, which suggested Trump may have violated IRS “self-dealing” laws by using his foundation’s money to settle legal disputes and purchase portraits of himself.
The Trump campaign has stated that it will fully cooperate with the investigation, but it remains “concerned about the political motives” behind the attorney general’s probe.
The New York Attorney General’s Office regulates charities that operate in the state. A spokesman for the office stated that cease-and-desist letters, like the one Trump’s foundation received, are only sent after “clear indication of wrongdoing.”
