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Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, left, speaks as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., listens, during a primary debate, Nov. 20, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP/John Bazemore)

Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, left, speaks as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., listens, during a primary debate, Nov. 20, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP/John Bazemore)

Democratic presidential candidate South Curve, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, left, speaks every bit Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., listens, during a chief fence, Nov. 20, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP/John Bazemore)

Pete Buttigieg falsely says Donald Trump illegally diverted funds for veterans

The Autonomous presidential contend in Atlanta kicked off with a give-and-take of the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

Pete Buttigieg claimed that Trump'southward conduct was impeachable, but also that Trump has already done something that would have gotten any other president out of the White House — and it has nothing to practise with Ukraine.

"Under normal circumstances a president would leave function later something that was revealed recently that barely got any attending at all," Buttigieg said, "which was the president had to confess in writing, in court, to illegally diverting charitable contributions that were supposed to go to veterans."

Is Buttigieg right that Trump admitted in writing to illegally diverting donations for veterans? No. Buttigieg mischaracterized what Trump agreed to in a lawsuit settlement.

What Trump agreed to in writing was that his 2016 political entrada, instead of his charitable foundation, coordinated a fundraising consequence for veterans and directed the distribution of funds. A judge said that Trump breached his fiduciary duties to the foundation past allowing the campaign to take over the fundraiser, furthering his political entrada. The funds were given to veterans.

Buttigieg'southward campaign sent PolitiFact links to several articles about the settlement which pointed out that Trump's entrada took command over the fundraiser and other admissions of wrongdoing.

Lawsuit and settlement

The New York Attorney General Role in June 2018 sued the Donald J. Trump Foundation, Trump (who founded the foundation and served as its president), and his iii eldest children (who served on the board of directors). The lawsuit charged that the foundation persistently violated state and federal laws and that Trump repeatedly used his foundation'due south money for his own personal, business, and political interests.

The foundation in December 2018 agreed to dissolve. Earlier this calendar month, on Nov. seven, New York Chaser General Letitia James announced she'd reached a settlement in the lawsuit and that the New York Supreme Courtroom ordered Trump to pay $2 million in damages "for improperly using charitable assets to intervene in the 2016 presidential primaries and further his own political interests."

The settlement outlined several matters Trump agreed to. Merely the part that is most pertinent to this merits relates to early 2016, when Trump said that in lieu of attending a Republican primary debate he would concord a fundraiser for veterans in Iowa.

Trump in the settlement agreed that his political entrada planned, organized, and paid for the fundraiser, with the administrative aid of the foundation. Further, he agreed that the entrada "directed the timing, amounts, and recipients of the foundation's grants to charitable organizations supporting military veterans."

The event raised nigh $v.half-dozen million in donations intended for veterans' groups — about $2.8 million of that went to Trump's foundation and the residual was donated direct to veterans' groups. Trump fifty-fifty presented foundation checks to veterans' groups during his campaign events.

Even so, we find nothing in the settlement terms that suggests Trump admitted to illegally diverting those funds away from veterans, as Buttigieg claimed.

Trump "breached his fiduciary duty" to the foundation by allowing his entrada to "orchestrate" the Iowa fundraiser and past "using the fundraiser and distribution of the funds to further" his political campaign, New York Supreme Court Justice Saliann Scarpulla said Nov. vii.

"I find that the $2,823,000 raised at the fundraiser was used for Mr. Trump's political campaign and disbursed past Mr. Trump's campaign staff, rather than by the foundation" in violation of state laws, Scarpulla wrote.

Withal, she added, "the funds did ultimately reach their intended destinations, i.e., charitable organizations supporting veterans."

Our ruling

Buttigieg said, "the president had to confess in writing, in court to illegally diverting charitable contributions that were supposed to go to veterans."

Trump did not confess to illegally diverting money abroad from veterans. He admitted that his campaign took charge of a fundraiser for veterans, even though it featured the proper noun of his foundation. A judge said Trump breached his fiduciary duties to the foundation and that the fundraiser and distribution of the funds helped Trump'south political campaign. But the funds did go to veterans.

Nosotros rate Buttigieg'southward claim False.

E-mail substitution, Pete Buttigieg campaign, Nov. 20, 2019

IRS.gov, Charities, Churches and Politics

New York Attorney General, AG James Secures Court Order Against Donald J. Trump, Trump Children, And Trump Foundation, Nov. 7, 2019

PolitiFact, Trump family unit 'disallowed' from operating charities in New York? No., Oct. 24, 2019

Washington Post, Trump ordered to pay $2 million to charities over misuse of foundation, court documents say, Nov. 7, 2019

Chicago Tribune - Associated Press story, President Donald Trump ordered to pay $2 million to settle suit alleging misuse of charitable foundation for personal gain, Nov. 7, 2019

Salon, Afterwards admitting to misusing charity money in court, President Trump claims that he is the victim, Nov. viii, 2019

The New York Times, Trump Ordered to Pay $2 1000000 to Charities for Misuse of Foundation, Nov. 7, 2019

USA Today, The terminal affiliate: Judge's ruling that Donald Trump must pay $2 1000000 to charities ends troubled foundation'south saga, November. 8, 2019

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