Trump Entities to Pay $750K to Settle Inauguration Lawsuit

MAY 3 2022·Updated DEC 24 2022

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Image credit: Getty Images [via Axios]

The Facts

Trump's businesses and inaugural committee reached a deal on Tues. to pay $750K to resolve a lawsuit that alleged the committee enriched the former president's family via overpaying for events at his hotel, according to the DC attorney general.
PBS NewsHour
DC AG Karl Racine announced the collective settlement with Trump's Presidential Inaugural Committee, the Trump Organization, and the Trump International Hotel in Washington, but the document has yet to be signed by a judge.
NPR
Notably, the settlement does not entail an admission of guilt or liability by Trump or any of the named defendants.
Newsweek
The lawsuit was filed in Jan. 2020 and alleged that Trump's 2017 Inaugural Committee coordinated with the former president's business to overpay for event space and thereby profiting from non-profit donated funds.
Axios
Racine said that one of the event's planners raised concerns about pricing with Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Rick Gates - a top campaign official at the time - but the committee has maintained that its finances were independently audited and all funds were spent in accordance with the law.
Independent

Sources Split

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The Spin

Left narrative

It's quite clear that Trump and his family misused funds to enrich themselves. As a nonprofit, it was the committee's duty to find the cheapest and most cost effective option, and Gates even told Ivanka that he was worried about the optics of the payments.

Independent

Pro-Trump narrative

The lawsuit against Trump and his organizations was an extension of the witch-hunt that has been waged against him for almost seven years. Raccine has a history of legally harassing Trump. The former president did not admit to any wrongdoing, and the only reason there was a settlement was to save his valuable time and energy.