Eric, Don Jr, Ivanka, Donald Trump
© Evan Vucci/APEric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump
New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood sued President Trump and his three eldest children on Thursday as directors of the Donald J. Trump Foundation, seeking to dissolve the not-for-profit organization for "persistent illegal conduct," according to court documents.

The petition alleges that the foundation engaged in "extensive unlawful political coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing transactions to benefit Mr. Trump's personal and business interests, and violations of basic legal obligations for non-profit foundations," per a statement released by the Office of the Attorney General.


"As our investigation reveals, the Trump Foundation was little more than a checkbook for payments from Mr. Trump or his businesses to nonprofits, regardless of their purpose or legality," Underwood said. "This is not how private foundations should function and my office intends to hold the Foundation and its directors accountable for its misuse of charitable assets."
The allegations outlined in the petition filed before the New York Supreme Court include claims the Trump campaign used the foundation to promote President Trump's candidacy and raise $2.8 million in a nationally televised fundraiser on Jan. 28, 2016 instead of attending a Republican primary debate scheduled for the same date in Des Moines, Iowa. Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski then had input into who would receive funds, pushing grants to be distributed before the Iowa nominating caucuses on Feb. 1.

The petition also asserts that President Trump used the foundation's assets to pay legal obligations of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., and his Trump National Golf Clubs.

If successful, the Trumps could be compelled to pay about $2.8 million in restitution to reimburse the foundation, plus penalties.

President Trump could also be prohibited from being a director of a New York-based non-profit for 10 years, while Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump could be banned for one year.

Underwood sent referral letters to the Federal Election Commission and the Internal Revenue Service arguing that "additional investigation and potential further legal action by these federal authorities are warranted," the Office of the Attorney General said in its press release.

President Trump hit back at Underwood's charges on Twitter, vowing to fight the allegations.

"The sleazy New York Democrats, and their now disgraced (and run out of town) A.G. Eric Schneiderman, are doing everything they can to sue me on a foundation that took in $18,800,000 and gave out to charity more money than it took in, $19,200,000. I won't settle this case!" he tweeted.


Underwood replaced former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman who resigned on May 7 after being accused of physically abusing women.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Trump Foundation condemned the filing as "politics at its very worst."

"The prior NYAG, who was recently forced to resign from office in disgrace, made it his stated mission to use this matter to not only advance his own political goals, but also for his own political fundraising," they said. "The acting NYAG's recent statement that battling the White House is 'the most important work [she] have [sic] every done' shows that such political attacks will continue unabated," the representative continued.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment by the Washington Examiner.