DC attorney general wants to interview Donald Trump Jr. as part of Trump inaugural funds abuse probe
The DC attorney general’s office has notified President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., that it would like to interview him as part of its investigation into misuse of his father’s inaugural funds, a spokesperson with the office tells at CNN.
The interview request comes after new information about Trump Jr.’s role was revealed in court filings earlier this week.
In January 2020, the DC attorney general’s office sued the Trump Organization and Presidential Inaugural Committee alleging they misused more than $1 million raised by the nonprofit by “grossly overpaying” for use of event space at the Trump Hotel in Washington for the 2017 inauguration.
Earlier this week, the attorney general’s office said in a court filing that it found new evidence through the course of its investigation that the President Inaugural Committee “improperly wasted its fund when it paid almost $50,000 to the Loews Madison” for a block of hotel rooms reserved by the Trump Organization.
“This reservation was arranged by the personal assistant to Donald Trump, Jr. at the Trump Organization. The contract was executed on behalf of the Trump Organization by a close personal friend of Donald Trump, Jr. named Gentry Beach,” according to the court filing.
The President’s Inaugural Committee was not part of the contract, the attorney general’s office alleges, but after the Trump Organization failed to pay the invoice, a collection agency contacted Rick Gates, a top official on the committee, seeking payment. Gates, according to court filings, forwarded the invoice to people working on the inaugural’s finances.
Representatives for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Depositions of witnesses as part of the lawsuit have been underway over the past several months.
In December, the President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was interviewed for more than five hours. Tom Barrack, chairman of the inaugural committee, was deposed on November 17, according to a court filing. Court filings indicate that Gates was also deposed.
