{"id":17955,"date":"2016-12-28T13:01:28","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T13:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=17955"},"modified":"2016-12-28T13:01:28","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T13:01:28","slug":"trump-revives-defense-of-charitable-foundation-amid-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/politics\/trump-revives-defense-of-charitable-foundation-amid-inquiry.html","title":{"rendered":"Trump Revives Defense of Charitable Foundation Amid Inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Trump Revives Defense of Charitable Foundation Amid Inquiry<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Trump Revives Defense of Charitable Foundation Amid Inquiry:-<\/strong> Donald J. Trump has renewed his defense of his charitable foundation, insisting on Twitter that all of the money raised by the organization has gone to charity even as the New York attorney general continues to investigate claims to the contrary.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI gave millions of dollars to DJT Foundation, raised and recieved millions more, ALL of which is given to charity, and media won\u2019t report!\u201d Mr. Trump wrote on Monday night. \u201c100% of the money goes to wonderful charities!\u201d he said in another post.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the latest flare-up concerning the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which emerged as a source of contention during the presidential race and has continued to bedevil Mr. Trump since his election. On Saturday, Mr. Trump said he would shut down the organization, a move that the New York attorney general\u2019s office said would require state approval.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month, in its 2015 tax filing, the foundation itself indicated that it may have violated rules meant to protect against self-dealing, such as using charity resources to benefit one of the organization\u2019s central people.<\/span><\/p>\n

The filing came after The Washington Post reported that Mr. Trump had used $258,000 from the charity to settle legal disputes involving his businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were other unusual donations from the foundation, including $12,000 for an autographed helmet from the football player Tim Tebow and $20,000 to an artist for painting a portrait of Mr. Trump. It also made a $25,000 donation to a political committee supporting Pam Bondi, the Florida attorney general, a contribution that drew scrutiny during the campaign and resulted in a penalty for running afoul of tax regulations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eric T. Schneiderman, New York\u2019s attorney general, announced in September that his office was investigating the foundation, telling CNN at the time that he was concerned that it \u201cmay have engaged in some improprieties.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Later that month, Mr. Schneiderman ordered the charity to cease fund-raising in New York after his office found that the foundation was not properly registered to solicit donations.<\/span><\/p>\n

At every turn, Mr. Trump has dismissed criticism. He insists that he has made significant contributions to his foundation over the years while also donating directly to causes.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the charity\u2019s tax records, Mr. Trump gave about $6 million to the foundation over the past three decades, but halted his giving entirely from 2009 to 2014. During those six years, the foundation was supported by the generosity of others, taking in more than $4 million in outside donations, the records show.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has refused to release his tax returns, which would give a more complete and accurate view of how much money he reported giving away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amid broader questions about the potential conflicts of interest posed by his business empire, Mr. Trump said on Saturday that he had directed his lawyer to initiate the closing of the foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe foundation has done enormous good works over the years in contributing millions of dollars to countless worthy groups, including supporting veterans, law enforcement officers and children,\u201d Mr. Trump said in a statement. \u201cHowever, to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as president I have decided to continue to pursue my strong interest in philanthropy in other ways.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But a spokeswoman for the New York attorney general\u2019s office said that any move to close the foundation required state approval, given the investigation into how it spends its money and courts donations, and the state\u2019s order that it stop fund-raising.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t