Ivanka Trump questioned in inauguration fund lawsuit

Ivanka Trump, the United States president's daughter and advisor, was questioned under oath by investigators from the Washington DC attorney general's office as part of the civil lawsuit alleging misuse of nonprofit funds for Donald Trump's inauguration four years about.

The development was disclosed by the office of District Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine in a court filing on Tuesday. 

White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters. The inaugural committee said its finances were independently audited, and all money was spent lawfully. 

Although campaign finance laws restrict the size of campaign contributions, inauguration committees can accept unlimited donations, including from corporations. 

The $107 million raised by Trump’s inaugural committee, chaired by real estate developer and investor Thomas Barrack, was the largest in history, according to Federal Election Commission filings. 

Former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates served as deputy chairman of the inaugural committee. He is one of several Trump associates convicted in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

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The case

In a January 2020 lawsuit, Racine claimed Donald Trump’s real estate business and other entities misused nonprofit funds to enrich the Trump family.

According to the suit, a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation called the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee coordinated with the Trump family to grossly overpay for event space in the Trump International Hotel in Washington.

Racine’s lawsuit alleged that in one case, the nonprofit paid more than $300,000 to hold a private reception at the Trump hotel for the president’s three oldest children - Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric - on the inauguration evening of January 20, 2017.

“District law requires nonprofits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,” Racine said earlier this year.

His lawsuit seeks to recover the $1 million that was allegedly funnelled directly to the Trump family business.