ATTORNEY GENERAL/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “The attorney general for the District of Columbia has subpoenaed documents from President Trump’s inaugural committee, the third governmental body to delve into how the fund raised $107 million and spent it to celebrate Mr. Trump’s swearing-in. The latest subpoena follows similar demands for documents by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and by New Jersey’s attorney general. It cites a civil statute that governs the operation of nonprofit organizations like the inaugural committee. No other recent inaugural committee has generated such intense scrutiny of its finances. Typically short lived, the committees are charged with staging balls, concerts and black-tie dinners in the nation’s capital during inauguration week. Mr. Trump’s inaugural committee raised and spent at least twice as much as its predecessors, but it ended in acrimony amid allegations of misspent funds. Federal prosecutors are examining whether foreigners illegally contributed to events using Americans as straw donors, a possible violation of criminal law. New Jersey authorities appear to be examining whether the committee obeyed civil statutes governing how nonprofit organizations raise funds, among other matters.”
–Sharon LaFraniere and Maggie Haberman, “Washington Official Subpoenas Trump Inaugural Committee,” The New York Times online, February 27, 2019