Trump brings a culture of corruption everywhere he goes. Nearly every organization he has led in the past decade is now under investigation or scrutiny. Here are some of the latest developments:
Trump was forced to shut down his foundation, which remains under investigation for illegal self-dealing and being used for political gain.
New York Times: “The Donald J. Trump Foundation will close and give away all its remaining funds amid a lawsuit accusing the charity and the Trump family of using it illegally for self-dealing and political gain, the New York attorney general’s office announced Tuesday.”
Trump’s inaugural committee is under investigation into whether it misspent donations and accepted illegal contributions.
Wall Street Journal: “Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the record $107 million it raised from donations, people familiar with the matter said.”
New York Times: “Federal prosecutors are examining whether foreigners illegally funneled donations to President Trump’s inaugural committee and a pro-Trump super PAC in hopes of buying influence over American policy, according to people familiar with the inquiry.”
Ivanka Trump played a critical role in negotiating the rates Trump’s inaugural committee paid for events and room rentals at Trump’s D.C. hotel.
ProPublica: “During the planning, Ivanka Trump, the president-elect’s eldest daughter and a senior executive with the Trump Organization, was involved in negotiating the price the hotel charged the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee for venue rentals. A top inaugural planner emailed Ivanka and others at the company to ‘express my concern’ that the hotel was overcharging for its event spaces, worrying of what would happen ‘when this is audited.’”
The Trump family’s 1990s tax dodge allowed them to artificially raise rents on their tenants, costing them millions in overcharged rent.
New York Times: “As it turned out, a hidden scam lurked behind the mysterious increases. In October, a New York Times investigation into the origins of Mr. Trump’s wealth revealed, among its findings, that the future president and his siblings set up a phony business to pad the cost of nearly everything their father, the legendary builder Fred C. Trump, purchased for his buildings. The Trump children split that extra money. Padding the invoices had a secondary benefit for the Trumps, allowing them to inflate rent increases on their father’s rent-regulated apartments.”
The Trump Organization is pursuing business in the Dominican Republic, potentially in violation of Trump’s trust and maybe the Constitution.
ABC News: “Now, there are signs the Trump brand may be returning to the Dominican Republic, and that has critics sounding alarms about the potential conflicts of interest for the sitting President of the United States.”
Newsweek: “Despite his promise not to pursue new foreign business deals while in office, evidence has emerged that the Trump Organization, which is now run on a day-to-day basis by the president’s two adult sons, is again pursuing a similar deal with the same Dominican developers the organization cut ties with many years ago. Many lawmakers and experts note that this project could constitute a conflict of interest, and the Global Witness report released Monday argues that the project could violate the Constitution.”