President Trump hit New York’s governor Twitter on Monday – a day when he was recuperating from a foreign trip – for probes he claims are a politically-motivated hit job.
Trump said the Democrat is out to get him and tasked the state’s attorney general with investigating his family foundation and his real estate business.
‘It is very hard and expensive to live in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo uses his Attorney General as a bludgeoning tool for his own purposes. They sue on everything, always in search of a crime. I even got sued on a Foundation which took Zero rent & expenses & gave away,’ the Republican president claimed in a tweet.
President Trump hit New York’s governor Twitter on Monday – a day when he was recuperating from a foreign trip – for probes he claims are a politically-motivated hit job
Trump said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is out to get him and tasked the state’s attorney general with investigating his family foundation and his real estate business
The president is a New York native and a billionaire. His charity, the Trump Foundation, is being probed in New York. His businesses are also under Attorney General Leticia James’ microscope.
New York State filed suit against the Trump Foundation last June. Trump said he’d close down the charity in December.
It wasn’t clear what reignited Trump’s furor on the topic. He sent four tweets about Cuomo and the lawsuit within the noon hour.
‘Going on for years, originally brought by Crooked Hillary’s Campaign Chair, A.G. Eric Schneiderman, until forced to resign for abuse against women. They never even looked at the disgusting Clinton Foundation,’ he argued.
He added, ‘Now Cuomo’s A.G. is harassing all of my New York businesses in search of anything at all they can find to make me look as bad as possible. So, on top of ridiculously high taxes, my children and companies are spending a fortune on lawyers. No wonder people and businesses are fleeing New York in record numbers!’
He claimed that he’s being treated unfairly by the attorney general’s office that has been investigating the foundation for potential violations, including allegations that it inappropriately coordinated with the president’s campaign.
The organization’s activities also raised questions about his tax status as a charitable foundation.
When the organization closed, the attorney general’s office claimed it has evidence of ‘a shocking pattern of illegality’ that it intended to demonstrate in court.
That behavior includes ‘unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more,’ read a statement from December.
‘This amounted to the Trump Foundation functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump’s business and political interests,’ the statement read.
One incident that’s described is the 2015 fundraiser that Trump held for veterans. He skipped an Iowa presidential debate amid a beef with one of its moderators and invited his competitors to attend his alternative event, instead.
Trump claimed afterward that he donated $1 million to veterans organizations, but a Washington Post writer disputed the candidate’s claims. The charity eventually gave millions to vets groups and the campaign of Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, who was investigating a different Trump entity.
Trump had been trying to close the foundation since 2016, before he was successful at the end of 2018, but New York’s previous attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, refused the request. The foundation was dissolving and its assets were being disbursed with oversight from Schneiderman’s replacement and a judge. The case is currently overseen by James, who inherited the case after she won last year’s statewide election.
The lawsuit has continued, and the AG’s office continues to seek permission to charge the foundation restitution and penalties. The AG’s office also seeks to keep Trump and his children from serving on the boards of any future charities.
Trump said in tweets on Monday that it’s his former political opponent whose charity should be investigated. He said Hillary Clinton’s joint venture with her husband and her daughter would be sent through the ringer, if the AG’s office was playing fair with Democrats.
‘That’s right, The Trump Foundation gave away 100% plus, with Zero rent or expenses charged, and has been being sued by Cuomo and New York State for years – another part of the political Witch Hunt,’ he charged.
‘Just in case anyone is interested – Clinton Foundation never even looked at!’