Ivanka Trump, the daughter of outgoing US President Donald Trump, was heard under oath this week in a civil lawsuit over alleged misuse of nonprofit funds for her father’s inauguration ceremony nearly four years ago.
The DC metropolitan district prosecutor states in court documents that testimony was taken from Ivanka Trump on Tuesday.
In the case, which was filed in January, the prosecution alleges that the Trump family business has misused nonprofit funds to enrich the family. One of those tax-exempt funds arranged with the Trump family over-compensation for the use of an event venue in Trump’s Washington hotel.
According to court records, the foundation paid more than $ 300,000 for a private reception at the Trump hotel for the president’s three eldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, on the night of the inauguration day.
“The law requires foundations to use their funds for their official purposes, not to benefit individuals or companies,” prosecutor Karl Racine said earlier this year. Racine wants to recover $ 1 million that he says was illegally funnelled into the Trump family’s businesses.
A White House spokesman has not yet responded. The committee responsible for the inauguration states that all cash flows have been audited by an independent accountant and that all expenditure has been legally made.