Donald Trump ordered to pay US$2 million for misusing charity money on politics
- Donations to Trump Foundation were used to advance 2016 presidential campaign
- US president’s children Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka Trump to undergo ‘mandatory training’ on duties of charity officials
US President Donald Trump was ordered by a New York judge on Thursday to pay US$2 million for misusing his namesake charitable foundation, resulting in funds being used to advance his 2016 presidential campaign.
Justice Saliann Scarpulla, of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, directed the payment to eight non-profit groups, in connection with a lawsuit by the state’s attorney general against the president and three of his adult children over the now-dissolved Donald J. Trump Foundation.
The White House was not immediately available for comment. A lawyer for the Trumps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attorney general, Letitia James, said her office has also reached agreements with the foundation and its directors to end the June 2018 lawsuit, which was filed by her predecessor, Barbara Underwood.
James said Trump admitted to “personally misusing funds at the Trump Foundation”, which agreed last December to dissolve, and accepted limits on his activities if he created a new charity. James also said Trump’s children Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka agreed to “mandatory training” on the duties of charity officials.
“The court’s decision, together with the settlements we negotiated, are a major victory in our efforts to protect charitable assets and hold accountable those who would abuse charities for personal gain,” James said in a statement.