NEW YORK _ President Donald Trump is finally making good on a promise to shutter his controversial charitable foundation _ but the attorney general of New York says not so fast.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation filed papers with the IRS earlier this month to close down for good. The filing, first reported by NBC News on Monday, states that the foundation is "seeking approval to distribute" the roughly $970,000 that it still holds in assets before officially dissolving.
But Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, pointed out that the foundation can't do much until her office has concluded its investigation.
"It cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete," Spitalnick told the New York Daily News.
Schneiderman launched an investigation and ordered the foundation to stop taking contributions in October last year after officials admitted to violating federal "self-dealing" laws for years. Trump subsequently promised to close up shop completely to avoid conflicts of interest.
"To avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as president I have decided to continue to pursue my strong interest in philanthropy in other ways," Trump said a month before his inauguration.
It's not clear how Trump has continued those philanthropic interests.
Trump made his final donation to the foundation in 2008. Since then, it has solicited several million dollars and donated some proceeds to veteran and law enforcement groups.
But the foundation allegedly also used donations to cover political gifts and legal expenses for Trump's businesses _ a practice that is illegal under federal law.
The Trump campaign accused Schneiderman of launching his probe into the foundation over "political motives."
