Reports that family of Trump lawyer Sekulow got millions from his nonprofit leads to states' review
Jay Sekulow/Mark Taylor (Wikimedia Commons)
Two state attorneys general say they will review the operations of a group run by lawyer Jay Sekulow following reports that the nonprofit funneled millions of dollars to the lawyer, his family and businesses they run.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told the Guardian their offices will be looking into Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, also known as CASE. Sekulow is a member of the private legal team representing President Donald Trump.
The voting members of the CASE board are Sekulow, his wife and their two sons, the Washington Post reports.
Since 2000, CASE has paid more than $60 million to Sekulow, his family members and companies in which they hold senior positions, the Guardian has reported. From 2011 to 2015, CASE funneled $5.5 million to Sekulow family members and $23 million to their firms for services provided, according to the Washington Post. Questions about payments were also raised by Law.com in 2005 and the Tennessean in 2011.
Some of the money received by Sekulow’s relatives and their businesses between 2011 and 2015 was paid first to the American Center for Law and Justice, another nonprofit that fights court battles on behalf of religious and conservative causes. Televangelist Pat Robertson is president of the ACLJ board, but most of the ACLJ’s budget is funded with money from CASE. Sekulow is the chief counsel for the ACLJ
Of the $23 million paid to businesses owned by Sekulow and his family between 2011 and 2015, $16 million went to the Constitutional Litigation and Advocacy group, a law firm half-owned by Sekulow, according to the Post.
CASE solicits money from donors; earlier this month fundraisers were asking for donations to help repeal the Affordable Care Act. The group has filed several law-related suits.
Robertson told the Post that an IRS review has found the nonprofits to be “in full compliance with all applicable tax law.” In addition, the financial arrangements between the ACLJ, CASE and related entities have been reviewed by outside compensation experts and determined to be reasonable, he said.