If Donald Trump thought that becoming the president of the United States would make his problems disappear, he was wrong. Among the scrutiny he’s faced sit issues with his now basically defunct foundation, and this week, a federal judge brought the president and his family one step closer to facing accountability.
The Trump Foundation, which has at this point long ceased operations, served as a personal bank account for Donald Trump, a number of reports and judicial authorities have credibly alleged. Money from the foundation supported his 2016 presidential campaign, and bought him favors in his previous life as a private citizen.
Infamously, during the 2016 U.S. presidential election season, Trump skipped a pre-Republican presidential primary debate and raised money for veterans instead. Those millions, though, lagged behind the scenes and were managed during the questionable disbursement period as an arm of his campaign itself under then-chairman Corey Lewandowski.
Before that, money from the foundation padded Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s re-election campaign — and she subsequently declined to challenge Trump over his fake educational endeavor “Trump University.” Authorities elsewhere decided to continue, though, with their own scrutiny of the eventual president’s fraud, and he eventually agreed to pay $25 million as part of a settlement. In other words, the case was legitimate and Bondi dropped it anyway — Trump eventually paid a fine over his contribution to the still currently serving Florida state authority.
These couple of examples are just a couple of those available painting the picture of the corrupt Trump Foundation. After months of investigation, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood brought a lawsuit against the Trumps earlier this year over their “self-dealing.” As part of her push, she wants to recoup $2.8 million perhaps most prominently, with the added stipulation of the enforced closure of the Trump Foundation and a ban on Donald, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric and Ivanka Trump serving in executive capacities in New York charities.
In August, Trump’s legal team filed a motion seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed over its supposedly political nature. It’s hardly the first time a similar “defense” has emerged from Trump World, with the president routinely and regularly dismissing the evidence-driven Russia investigation as little more than a witch hunt.
He’s gotten nowhere with those claims, though, and his team isn’t getting anywhere on this front either.
This week, New York Supreme Court Justice Saliann Scarpulla insisted of the presidential legal team’s allegations:
‘I don’t want to get involved with that. The allegations are what they are. Until you deny them I accept them.’
Issues over his foundation aren’t the only ones Trump has faced as president.
Besides the Russia investigation, he’s also faced legal challenges over issues ranging from his business conflicts of interest in place while he’s president to a hush money scheme meant to shut up women he’d had affairs with.
The Trump team works diligently to dismiss the legitimacy of the challenges, but they’re by and large still continuing through the court system anyway. He can’t run from accountability forever.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
