President Donald Trump stands surrounded by his son Eric Trump, daughter Ivanka, and son Donald Trump Jr. ahead of a press conference in Trump Tower, Manhattan, New York, U.S., January 11, 2017. (Photo: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
Nov 23, 2018
Rejecting the immunity defense put forth by President Donald Trump's lawyers, a New York state judge on Friday ruled that a lawsuit accusing Trump and members of his family of using their "charitable" foundation as nothing more than a personal "piggy bank" can proceed.
Filed in June by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, the suit alleges that Trump engaged in "persistently illegal conduct" by using the Trump Foundation as a vehicle to advance his political and business aims. The lawsuit seeks to dissolve the Trump Foundation entirely.
"The Trump Foundation functioned as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political interests. There are rules that govern private foundations, and we intend to enforce them--no matter who runs the foundation," Underwood wrote in a tweet on Friday.
New York's lawsuit is the product of a two-year investigation into the Trump Foundation, which allegedly uncovered widespread and "knowing" violations of campaign finance laws and other regulations.
Though Trump's lawyers argued that a "sitting president may not be sued," but New York state Supreme Court Justice Saliann Scarpulla ruled on Friday that the president's legal team "failed to cite a single case" supporting its defense.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Rejecting the immunity defense put forth by President Donald Trump's lawyers, a New York state judge on Friday ruled that a lawsuit accusing Trump and members of his family of using their "charitable" foundation as nothing more than a personal "piggy bank" can proceed.
Filed in June by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, the suit alleges that Trump engaged in "persistently illegal conduct" by using the Trump Foundation as a vehicle to advance his political and business aims. The lawsuit seeks to dissolve the Trump Foundation entirely.
"The Trump Foundation functioned as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political interests. There are rules that govern private foundations, and we intend to enforce them--no matter who runs the foundation," Underwood wrote in a tweet on Friday.
New York's lawsuit is the product of a two-year investigation into the Trump Foundation, which allegedly uncovered widespread and "knowing" violations of campaign finance laws and other regulations.
Though Trump's lawyers argued that a "sitting president may not be sued," but New York state Supreme Court Justice Saliann Scarpulla ruled on Friday that the president's legal team "failed to cite a single case" supporting its defense.
Rejecting the immunity defense put forth by President Donald Trump's lawyers, a New York state judge on Friday ruled that a lawsuit accusing Trump and members of his family of using their "charitable" foundation as nothing more than a personal "piggy bank" can proceed.
Filed in June by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, the suit alleges that Trump engaged in "persistently illegal conduct" by using the Trump Foundation as a vehicle to advance his political and business aims. The lawsuit seeks to dissolve the Trump Foundation entirely.
"The Trump Foundation functioned as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political interests. There are rules that govern private foundations, and we intend to enforce them--no matter who runs the foundation," Underwood wrote in a tweet on Friday.
New York's lawsuit is the product of a two-year investigation into the Trump Foundation, which allegedly uncovered widespread and "knowing" violations of campaign finance laws and other regulations.
Though Trump's lawyers argued that a "sitting president may not be sued," but New York state Supreme Court Justice Saliann Scarpulla ruled on Friday that the president's legal team "failed to cite a single case" supporting its defense.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.