Tuesday October 04, 2016
New York AG orders Trump Foundation to cease fundraising New York, US (Reuters) -New York’s attorney general ordered Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s charitable foundation to immediately stop fundraising in the state, warning that a failure to do so would be a “continuing fraud.” For Trump, the cease-anddesist order was the latest in a series of blows that has sent his campaign reeling. The New York businessman and his aides spent much of the weekend pushing back against suggestions that he may not have paid U.S. federal income taxes for almost 20 years. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office said the D o n a l d J . Trump Foundation was violating a state law requiring charitable organizations that solicit outside donations to register with the office’s Charities Bureau. The order followed a series of reports in The Washington Post that suggested improprieties by the foundation, including using its funds to settle legal disputes involving Trump businesses. “The failure immediately to discontinue solicitation and to file information and reports required under Article 7-A with the Charities Bureau shall be deemed to be a continuing fraud upon the people of the state of New York,” according to a letter dated on Friday that the office posted online on Monday. Trump’s campaign has suggested that the probe launched by Schneiderman, a Democrat, was politically motivated. While again putting Trump’s campaign on the defensive, the order could also undercut his efforts to make the Clinton Foundation, the family charity of Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton, a pri-
Donald Trump mary target in his campaign against her. Trump has sought to paint the Clinton Foundation as a “pay-to-play” operation under which the former secretary of state and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, rewarded big donors to the foundation with access. The scrutiny of the Trump Foundation came as the Republican candidate was dealing with a torrent of bad news, including his shaky performance in first debate with Clinton on Sept. 26 and the release by the New York Times of tax records that showed Trump taking an almost $1 billion loss in 1995 that may have allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years. In i t s s e r i e s o n t h e Trump Foundation, The Washington Post reported that Trump may have violated U.S. Internal Revenue Service rules against “selfdealing” by using foundation money to purchase two portraits of himself, which were then hung at his private golf clubs in New York and Florida. The newspaper also said that Trump may have improperly used the foundation to settle legal disputes, including one at the his Palm Beach, Florida estate; diverted income from his business to the charity
to avoid paying income tax; and donated foundation money to support Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Republican, who was considering launching an investigation into Trump University, Trump’s for-profit education venture. The foundation ended up paying a $2,500 fine to the IRS for that donation. In response to the Post’s reporting, Schneiderman’s office began a probe into the Trump Foundation. The Trump campaign said in a statement on Monday that the charity would cooperate with the investigation. The New York Attorney General’s Office is the sole regulator of charities in the state. A spokesman for the office said it is not unusual for the regulator to send notices to charities whose filings are overdue or incomplete, but a cease-and-desist letter is more serious. Trump established the charitable foundation in 1988, but it runs no programs of its own. Instead, it donates money to other nonprofit groups such as the Police Athletic League for youths. Once the foundation began soliciting money from other donors beyond the Trump family, it was required by New York law to register with the state. It is a radically different vehicle than the New York City-based Clinton Foundation, which has a $354 million in assets and almost 500 staffers. It has worked to reduce the cost of drugs for people with HIV in developing countries, eradicate childhood obesity in the United States and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among other things. Trump has accused Clinton of being corrupted by donors to the Clinton Foundation while she was U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Clinton has dismissed Trump’s allegation as a political smear.
GECOM used fake quotation... From page 13 GECOM conducted contract-splitting to hide a number of questionable purchases from the Cabinet. Among some of the purchases were pliers, Duracell batteries, toners and even office equipment. In almost all the cases, there was evidence that the prices were highly inflated, as
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Kaieteur News
in the case of the radios. Some of radios supplied by Brasse are retailing for $300,000. Yet GECOM paid on average $2M apiece. On that fake Massy Te c h n o l o g y q u o t e t h a t GECOM submitted to N P TA B , o n e o f t h o s e $300,000 radios was said to have cost $2.25M each. Lowenfield had distanced himself from the purchases saying that
N P TA B i s t h e o n e t h a t made the final decision. GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, who is set to retire this year, said that it was the Secretariat that handled purchasing of items and services. The Opposition members of the Commission also distanced themselves saying they can’t recall seeing any proposals for those questionable purchases.
Guyana Defence Force gets ninth Chief-of-Staff
Outgoing Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips (Left), and President David Granger adorning the new Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier George Lewis with the badge of rank (Ministry of the Presidency photo). A promotion ceremony for Colonel George Lewis was held in the Executive Room of the Officers Club, Base Camp Ayanganna yesterday where he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He was also sworn in as the ninth Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). The President of Guyana and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Brigadier David Granger, after the badging ceremony, said that the Guyana Defence Board (GDB) is confident that Brigadier Lewis is the most senior and best qualified officer to perform the function as Chiefof-Staff. The promotion and swearing in were done in accordance with the succession policy of the GDF. The President stated that the Chief-of-Staff of the GDF has an ambiguous mandate which requires him – within the law – to apply his military education, his military expertise and his military experience to protect the citizens and
defend the territorial integrity of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana in accordance with the Defence Act under the authority of the GDB and in accordance with the directive of the Minister. The President congratulated Brigadier Lewis on behalf of the Guyana Defence Board on his promotion and on his appointment to the position of Chief-of-Staff. Brigadier Lewis was enlisted in the force as a cadet on September 01, 1981. The new Chief-of Staff during an interview, said that obtaining the position was one that he was working towards since he enlisted, and now it has been achieved. Brigadier Lewis was asked what would be some of his immediate goals for the army at this stage, to which he responded, “Well you know our mandate is to provide border defence. We have some challenges there which we definitely have to work on and it may involve some
amount of recapitalisation, acquisition of new equipment, we’re in discussion with the Guyana Defence Board. We have indentified the issues and we’ll be working to resolve them.” The President also thanked the outgoing Chiefof-Staff, Mark Phillips, on behalf of the GDB for his service as Chief-of-Staff from August 2013 to October 2016. He was enlisted in the force as a cadet on September 22, 1980. Brigadier Granger said that the Defence Board is satisfied with Brigadier Phillips’s service to the nation; and more recently with his conduct in executing Operations Greenheart and Home Guard. Brigadier Phillips, who is retiring after serving more than three decades, was asked what it was like being a solider all his life to which he responded with a smile, “That is the only thing I wanted to do in my life.”
Putin suspends nuclear pact, raising stakes in row with Washington Russia (Reuters)- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium, signaling he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States over Ukraine and Syria. Starting in the last years of the Cold War, Russia and the United States signed a series of accords to reduce the size of their nuclear arsenals, agreements that have so far survived intact despite a souring of U.S.-Russian relations under Putin. But on Monday, Putin issued a decree suspending an agreement, concluded in 2000, which bound the two sides to dispose of surplus plutonium originally
intended for use in nuclear weapons. The Kremlin said it was taking that action in response to unfriendly acts by Washington. It made the announcement shortly before Washington said it was suspending talks with Russia on trying to end the violence in Syria. The plutonium accord is not the cornerstone of post-Cold War U.S.-Russia disarmament, and the practical implications from the suspension will be limited. But the suspension, and the linkage to disagreements on other issues, carries powerful symbolism. “Putin’s decree could signal that other nuclear disarmament cooperation deals between the United States and Russia are at risk of being undermined,”
Stratfor, a U.S.-based consultancy, said in a commentary. “The decision is likely an attempt to convey to Washington the price of cutting off dialogue on Syria and other issues.” U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Monday that bilateral contacts with Moscow over Syria were being suspended. Kirby said Russia had failed to live up to its commitments under a ceasefire agreement. Western diplomats say an end to the Syria talks leaves Moscow free to pursue its military operation in support of Syrian President Bashar alAssad, but without a way to disentangle itself from a conflict which shows no sign of ending.