Schneiderman said he wants “to make sure [the Trump Foundation] complying with the laws governing charities in NY”. “My interest in this issue is in my capacity as regulator of non-profits in NY state”, Eric Schneiderman said on CNN.
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Trump spokesman Jason Miller called the inquiry a “left-wing hit job”, CNN reported, while pro-Trump pundit Jeffrey Lord called Schneiderman a “sleaze” on CNN’s OutFront.
In a CNN interview on Tuesday, Mr Schneiderman said his office had now brought Mr Trump’s charitable foundation under scrutiny.
The announcement comes after recent media reports raised questions about the foundation’s financial dealings. “These payments may have influenced Mrs. Bondi’s official decision not to participate in litigation against Mr. Trump”, the letter reads.
Mr Trump’s team have dismissed Mr Schneiderman, a Democrat, as “a partisan hack”.
“We’ve had correspondence with them”, he said.
Americans will choose between Trump and Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton during the presidential election on November 8.
In another article, The Post had reported that the recipients of five charitable contributions listed by the Trump Foundation had no record of receiving those donations. At the time, Bondi was reviewing allegations that Trump University swindled students into the false belief they were attending an accredited university. He added that they have been anxious that the Trump Foundation could have engaged in some impropriety from that view point.
But the matter resurfaced this month when it was revealed Trump paid a $2,500 fine to the Internal Revenue Service because the contribution came from his foundation, violating federal law barring charities from making political contributions.
Schneiderman has been less aggressive in making sure other charities comply with NY law.
Meanwhile, House Democrats called on the Justice Department to probe whether Trump bribed Bondi to protect his business interests.
The AG also is looking into money from the foundation being used to buy a life-sized portrait of Trump and a football helmet signed by Tim Tebow. The inquiry will probe the charity’s compliance with NY state laws.
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“There was never any recommendation by the staff to investigate or sue Trump University in 2013”, Ray said. “So, we’ll continue to try to bribe her for justice as opposed to bribing her for personal gain, which is what Donald Trump has done”.
