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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 4 May 2022
D.C. reaches $750K settlement in Trump

inaugural lawsuit

By MICHAEL BALSAMO allegations on numerous can Party and, in particu-
Associated Press grounds and deny having lar, the former President of
WASHINGTON (AP) — For- engaged in any wrongdo- the United States.”
mer President Donald ing or unlawful conduct.” Racine has said the com-
Trump’s businesses and in- As part of the agreement, mittee misused nonprofit
augural committee have the defendants will pay the funds and coordinated
reached a deal to pay District of Columbia a total with the hotel’s manage-
Washington, D.C., $750,000 of $750,000, which will be ment and members of the
to resolve a lawsuit that al- used to benefit three non- Trump family to arrange
leged the committee over- profit organizations, the the events. He said one of
paid for events at his hotel settlement paperwork says. the event’s planners raised A view of The Trump International Hotel is seen, March 4, 2021,
in Washington.
and enriched the former “We’re resolving our law- concerns about pricing Associated Press
president’s family in the suit and sending the mes- with Trump, the president’s
process, according to the sage that if you violate DC daughter Ivanka Trump celebrating Trump’s inau- about using the space,
District of Columbia’s attor- nonprofit law—no matter and Rick Gates, a top cam- guration in January 2017. including ballrooms and
ney general. how powerful you are— paign official at the time. But the committee’s spend- meeting rooms, the at-
Attorney General Karl Ra- you’ll pay,” Racine said in The committee has main- ing has drawn mounting torney general’s office
cine announced the set- a tweet. tained that its finances scrutiny. has said. In one instance,
tlement agreement in the In a statement, Trump blast- were independently audit- Gates, a former Trump Gates contacted Ivanka
case against the Presiden- ed Racine and noted that ed, and that all money was campaign aide who co- Trump and told her that he
tial Inaugural Committee, the settlement includes no spent in accordance with operated in the special was “a bit worried about
the Trump Organization admission of guilt or liability. the law. The committee counsel’s Russia investiga- the optics” of the commit-
and the Trump Interna- “As crime rates are soar- raised an unprecedented tion, personally managed tee paying such a high fee,
tional Hotel in Washington ing in our Nation’s Capital, $107 million to host events discussions with the hotel Racine said.q
in a tweet on Tuesday. The it is necessary that the At-
document had not yet torney General focus on
been signed by a judge. those issues rather than a
The agreement says the further leg of the greatest
case is being resolved “to Witch-Hunt in political his-
avoid the cost, burden, tory,” Trump said. “This was
and risks of further litiga- yet another example of
tion” and that the orga- weaponizing Law Enforce-
nizations “dispute these ment against the Republi-

Lawmakers in 19 states want

legal refuge for trans youth

HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) —
Democratic lawmakers in
more than a dozen states
are following California’s
lead in seeking to offer le-
gal refuge to displaced
transgender youth and
their families. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San
discusses
his
Francisco,
The coordinated effort be- proposed measure to provide
ing announced Tuesday legal refuge to displaced
by the LGBTQ Victory Insti- transgender youth and
tute and other advocates their families during a news
comes in response to re- conference in Sacramento,
cent actions taken in con- Calif., March 17, 2022.
servative states. Associated Press
In Texas, for example, Gov. other states after coming
Gregg Abbott has directed forward with his bill, which
state agencies to consider would reject any out-of-
placing transgender chil- state court judgments re-
dren in foster care, though moving children from their
a judge has temporar- parents’ custody because
ily blocked such investiga- they allowed gender-af-
tions. firming health care.
And multiple states have It also would make ar-
approved measures pro- rest warrants based on al-
hibiting gender-affirming leged violation of another
health care treatments for state’s law against receiv-
transgender youth. ing such care the lowest
Wiener said he immedi- priority for California law
ately began hearing from enforcement.q