THREAD: Yesterday the NY AG sued @realdonaldtrump for “persistently illegal conduct” at his charity. She also... washingtonpost.com/amphtml/politi…
...answered six Q’s I’d been unable to answer before. (She’s got subpoenas, after all. I’ve just got a phone & my irresistible Texas charm)
Q1: did @realdonaldtrump personally direct his charity to pay off obligations for his for-profit businesses? Or did some underling do it?
A: It was him. Here’s a note where Trump orders that $100K in charity money be used to pay off a legal settlement for his Mar-a-Lago Club. 
(The $ went to a charity, Fisher House. But they were getting $ anyway: MaraLago pledged $100K to settle case. Trump Fdn paid M-a-L’s bill)
Q2: did anyone treat @realdonaldtrump’s Fdn like a real charity: an independent entity w/ its own officers, own $ & mission to serve?
A: No. here’s Allen Weisselberg, the charity’s official “treasurer,” saying he didn’t even know he was on the board.
Q3: in 2013, @realdonaldtrump’s Fdn gave an illegal gift to help @AGPamBondi. Then Trump Fdn omitted that gift from IRS filings. Why?
A: We still don’t know. NY AG said nobody explained how the Trump Fdn submitted an IRS filing that omitted gift & listed false one instead.
Q4: would the NY AG find any instances of improper foundation spending that I missed?
A: yes! They found an instance where @realdonaldtrump used charity $ to pay a $32,000 expense incurred at his NY country estate.
Q5: In 2016, @realdonaldtrump gave Fdn $ to a vets charity with a history of complaints and bad reviews. Did his ppl know about its history?
A: Yes. This doc, which the AG got, seems to show those bad reviews were noted — but the gift was given anyway.
Q6: (last one) would the NY AG decide @realdonaldtrump’s actions should result in criminal charges?
A: they didn’t say. But they sent a strong hint — referring the case to the IRS & FEC, and calling @realdonaldtrump’s conduct “willful.”
That matters because “wilfulness” is the legal standard for tax prosecutions: they have to prove you knew the law and broke it anyway. But..
....but using that word is a long way from actually bringing a charge, or proving it in court. ny Ag can’t bring crim tax charges herself.
That’s it! Thanks for reading. Carry on.
