Court reinstates Trump Organization as defendant in lawsuit against inaugural committee

The Trump Organization is being reinstated as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the D.C. attorney general against former President Trump’s 2017 Inaugural Committee.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit in early 2020 that alleged the inaugural committee spent about $1 million on event space at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., that was allegedly misused. The lawsuit asserts that other venue spaces for the event would have been more affordable. Both entities argue that it was “market rate” pricing for the event space.

A ruling by D.C. Superior Court Judge Yvonne Williams on Monday reversed an earlier decision by another judge to dismiss the case against the Trump Organization. The ruling focused on the District leaving out testimony regarding authority over the Trump Organization.

A hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning “to address the outstanding discovery motions.”

In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for the D.C. attorney general said it was “full steam ahead,” noting “the case will now proceed to trial fully intact as it was originally brought.” 

The attorney general’s office did not have a comment on the matter following an inquiry by The Hill. The Hill has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment.

In November, a judge dropped part of a lawsuit against Trump’s 2017 Inaugural Committee by ruling the nonprofit had not misused funds by spending $1 million on ballrooms and meeting spaces at Trump’s D.C. hotel.

But the ruling did allow another part of the lawsuit to continue, which claimed the committee misused assets for the Trump family’s personal gain. The committee, technically a nonprofit, is not allowed to privately benefit its leader.

Updated: 7:07 p.m.