Washington DC: Officials in Florida have reportedly opened an investigation into a fundraiser by former first lady Melania Trump.
The New York Times over the weekend reported that Trump is selling tickets to an April “high tea” event, from which organizers say profits will benefit an initiative of her Be Best endeavor called “Fostering the Future.” The initiative is meant to provide computer science scholarships to young people who have been in foster care, the Times reported.
The Times reported that no charity with the name Fostering the Future or Be Best has been registered in Florida. In a tweet after the publication of the Times article, the former first lady blasted the newspaper’s reporting, calling it “dishonest.”
“Everything has been done lawfully, & all documents are in the works. Read with caution-typical corrupt media,” she said. “We are working w/Bradley Impact Fund, a Donor-Advised Fund, to select charities that will receive the donations to foster children.”
The revelation about the former first lady’s venture came as part of a more wide-ranging Times report on former President Donald Trump, his associates and his business dealings since leaving the White House. The former president has continued to fundraise and endorse candidates for public office over the last year while teasing a possible run for president in 2024.
Trump’s longtime accounting firm cuts ties
The accounting firm that handled Donald Trump’s company’s financial statements dropped it as a client and said it could no longer stand behind a decade of statements, a court filing showed on February 14.
Mazars USA, in a Feb. 9 letter made public on Monday, told the Trump Organization, the former president’s New York-based real estate business, that its financial statements for 2011 through 2020 should no longer be relied on.
The disclosure was made as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation into the Trump Organization, which could result in financial penalties. That probe partially overlaps a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney, which James joined in May, into the company’s practices.
In the letter, filed in New York state court, Mazars said that it had “performed its work in accordance with professional standards.” The accounting firm also said it would no longer work for the Trump Organization.
