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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 19 december 2018

8PM

Trump Foundation reaches deal to dissolve amid lawsuit

By MICHAEL R. SISAK close supervision. of directing that $100,000
Associated Press Trump Foundation law- in foundation money be
NEW YORK (AP) — President yer Alan Futerfas said the used to settle legal claims
Donald Trump's charitable nonprofit has distributed over an 80-foot flagpole
foundation reached a deal approximately $19 million he had built at his Mar-a-
Tuesday to go out of busi- over the past decade, in- Lago resort in Palm Beach,
ness, even as Trump contin- cluding $8.25 million of the Florida, instead of paying
ues to fight allegations he president's own money, to the expense out of his own
misused its assets to resolve hundreds of charitable or- pocket.
business disputes and boost ganizations. In addition, the founda-
his run for the White House. The agreement was tion paid $158,000 to re-
New York's attorney gen- reached after a New York solve a lawsuit over a prize
eral and lawyers for the judge last month rejected for a hole-in-one contest
Trump Foundation agreed arguments from the foun- at a Trump-owned golf
on a court-supervised pro- dation's lawyers that the course; $10,000 to buy a
cess for shutting down the lawsuit was politically mo- 6-foot (1.8-meter) portrait
charity and distributing tivated and should be of Trump at a charity auc-
about $1.7 million in re- thrown out. tion; and $5,000 for ads
maining funds to other non- Once the judge approves promoting Trump's hotels in
profit groups. the deal to dissolve the the programs for charitable
The agreement resolved charity, the two sides will events.
one part of the legal dra- have 30 days to provide Underwood sued the Trump
ma surrounding Trump, In this May 15, 2018, file photo, Barbara Underwood interviews her with a list of nonprofit Foundation after taking
whose campaign, transi- with legislative leaders in Albany, N.Y., for the office of New York organizations that should over for fellow Democrat
tion, inauguration and real attorney general. get the remaining funds. Eric Schneiderman, who
estate empire are all under Associated Press Each charity will get the resigned in May amid alle-
investigation. same amount, and the at- gations he abused women.
Attorney General Barbara In a statement Tuesday, Un- have said any infractions torney general's office will Schneiderman started in-
Underwood's lawsuit alleg- derwood cited "a shocking were minor. have the right to reject vestigating the founda-
ing Trump and his family il- pattern of illegality involv- Trump pledged to dissolve ones it deems unfit to re- tion in 2016 and ordered it
legally operated the foun- ing the Trump Foundation the three-decade-old ceive funds. to stop fundraising in New
dation as an extension of — including unlawful co- foundation and donate In her lawsuit, Underwood York after The Washington
his businesses and his presi- ordination with the Trump its funds to charity after his alleged that Trump used Post reported that some
dential campaign will con- presidential campaign, 2016 election, but his law- the foundation to help bol- of its spending personally
tinue. repeated and willful self- yers said they were thwart- ster his campaign by giv- benefited the presidential
The lawsuit, filed last spring, dealing, and much more." ed by the attorney gen- ing out big grants of other's candidate.
seeks $2.8 million in restitu- The foundation operated eral's office, which wanted people money to veterans Underwood has referred
tion and a 10-year ban on as "little more than a check- oversight over its closure. organizations during the her office's findings to the
Trump and his three eldest book to serve Mr. Trump's The attorney general's of- run-up to the Iowa cau- IRS and the Federal Elec-
children — Donald Jr., Eric business and political inter- fice said it would have cuses, the first presidential tion Commission. Those
and Ivanka — from running ests," she said. been "unacceptable" to let nominating contest of 2016. agencies have not com-
any charities in New York. Lawyers for the foundation the foundation fold without Trump was also accused mented on the matter.q