Washington Post reporter David Fahrenholdt continued his Pulitzer-worthy reporting last night with a bombshell story that seems like a clear indication that Trump's sham foundation has been operating illegally.
Trump has publicly boasted that he has directed significant amounts of money to his foundation, but the Trump Foundation is not registered in the state of New York to collect money from donors.
Under the laws in New York, where the Donald J. Trump Foundation is based, any charity that solicits more than $25,000 a year from the public must obtain a special kind of registration beforehand. Charities as large as Trump’s must also submit to a rigorous annual audit that asks — among other things — whether the charity spent any money for the personal benefit of its officers.
To recap:
1) Trump directs money owed to him to the foundation instead.
2) Trump uses the foundation like a personal tax-free piggy-bank.
3) The foundation isn't registered to raise money and therefore hasn't been audited.
If it's true that Trump doesn't pay income taxes, it's probably because he uses the foundation like his own bank account.
Because the Trump Foundation isn't registered, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman could force the foundation to stop collecting money and possibly even return any money it has raised. However, given that Schneiderman has opened a much wider investigation of the foundation, he may want to allow it to continue operating so he can follow the money.
I'm starting to feel a little more serious about my prediction that Trump could be living in Russia by this time next year.