Ivanka Trump deposed in DC attorney general’s probe over alleged misuse of inauguration funds
Lawsuit claims more than $1m spent at way above market rate to rent Trump hotel space
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Your support makes all the difference.Ivanka Trump was deposed as part of the Washington DC attorney general’s probe into an alleged misuse of inauguration funds.
The first daughter sat with investigators for a lawsuit that claims the Trump Organization and Presidential Inauguration Committee misused more than $1m.
The DC attorney general filed a lawsuit in January claiming they abused the money by “grossly overpaying” for use of event space at the Trump hotel in Washington for the January 2017 inauguration.
Witnesses in the case have been deposed over the past several weeks, according to CNN.
The chairman of Mr Trump’s inaugural committee, Tom Barrack, was deposed on 17 November, according to court papers.
The attorney general’s office has subpoenaed records from Mr Barrack, Ms Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and Rick Gates, the former inaugural committee deputy chairman, states the filing.
According to the lawsuit Mr Gates agreed with hotel management and the Trump family to spend $175,000 per day for the space for four days.
The committee's own event planner, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, advised against the transaction saying that the figure was at least twice the market rate, it states.
Ms Wolkoff, who has had a public falling out with the first lady and wrote a book about their friendship, then met with Donald Trump and Ms Trump to discuss the matter.
She followed that by sending an email to Mr Gates and Ms Trump to “express her concern”, according to the attorney general.
"The Inaugural Committee accepted the contract anyway," claims the lawsuit.
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