Ivanka Trump questioned under oath in misuse of inauguration funds lawsuit
President’s daughter quizzed as election loser considers pardoning his children before leaving office
Ivanka Trump has been questioned by attorneys who allege that Donald Trump’s 2017 Presidential Inauguration Committee misused donor funds, court filings reveal.
The Washington D.C. attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit in January alleging that the committee and the Trump family business, The Trump Organization, “abused” more than $1m (£746,000) in donated cash by “grossly overpaying” for event space at the Trump hotel in the capital, CNN reports.
Depositions of witnesses in the lawsuit kicked off last month, with committee chair Tom Barrack quizzed on 17 November, while Ivanka was grilled by attorneys on Tuesday this week.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The attorney general’s office has also subpoenaed records from Ivanka, first lady Melania Trump, and the committee’s former deputy chair Rick Gates, the court documents show.
“District law requires nonprofits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,” said the District of Columbia’s attorney general Karl Racine. “In this case, we are seeking to recover the nonprofit funds that were improperly funnelled directly to the Trump family business.”
Alan Garten, chief legal officer at The Trump Organization, told CNN this week that Ivanka’s “only involvement was connecting the parties and instructing the hotel to charge a ‘fair market rate’, which the hotel did”.
As the lawsuit continues, sources are claiming that the president has touted the idea of issuing pre-emptive pardons for his children, his son-in-law and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Two people “briefed on the matter” told The New York Times that Trump “talked with Mr Giuliani about pardoning him as recently as last week”, as the US leader prepares to hand over power to Joe Biden.
Trump “has told others that he is concerned that a Biden Justice Department might seek retribution against the president by targeting the oldest three of his five children”, the paper adds.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
Bormio: 'a great Alpine getaway'
The Week Recommends From snowy slopes and hot-spring spas, to high-end food and wine, this Italian town has something to offer everyone
By Asya Likhtman Published
-
Crossword: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mobsters jailed by Giuliani are 'thrilled' with his RICO prosecution. Former fans are sad.
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Jack Smith: the special prosecutor taking on Donald Trump
Why Everyone’s Talking About The Department of Justice has now brought two indictments against Trump following Smith’s investigations
By Richard Windsor Published
-
Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison for tax evasion, fraud
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Report: Federal agents claim they have evidence to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Was attempted FBI break-in linked to the Donald Trump Mar-a-Lago raid?
Speed Read A 42-year-old man was killed after reportedly trying to enter an FBI office in Ohio
By Amrita Gill Published
-
What was the FBI looking for in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate?
Today's Big Question Raid on former president’s Florida home described as ‘extraordinary, historic development’
By The Week Staff Published
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shooting
Speed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
By The Week Staff Published
-
Jan. 6 committee uses new footage to link Trump with violence at the Capitol
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published