More trouble over Donald Trump’s inauguration spending. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine announces:

Our office is suing the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee and two Trump entities for abusing nonprofit funds to enrich the Trump family.

District law requires nonprofits to use their funds for their stated public purpose—not to benefit private individuals or companies

However, the Presidential Inaugural Committee staff collaborated with the Trump family to dramatically overpay for use of Trump Hotel event spaces.

— Archive: AG Karl A. Racine (@AGKarlRacine) January 22, 2020

The Washington Post’s Jonathan O’Connell writes:

During the lead-up to Trump’s January 2017 inauguration, the committee booked the hotel ballroom for $175,000 a day, plus more than $300,000 in food and beverage costs, over the objections of its own event planner.

The committee was formed to organize the events around the inauguration, but Racine alleges it instead “abandoned this purpose and violated District law when it wasted approximately $1 million of charitable funds in overpayment for the use of event space at the Trump hotel.”

Racine states, “These charges were unreasonable and improperly served to enrich.”

O’Connell goes on to say:

Racine’s suit specifically targets a $1 million deal made between the committee and the Trump Organization for the ballroom during four days around the inaugural, which he alleges was a knowing waste of the nonprofit’s resources to benefit the Trumps. 

The Post points out, “An attorney for the committee and a Trump Organization spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment. “