Did Eric Trump’s Cancer Charity For Kids Benefit The Trump Organization?

The Eric Trump Foundation, which raises charity money for children with cancer, reportedly paid $1.2 million to the Trump Organization between 2007 and 2015, fees for fundraising golf events held at the Trump National Golf Course, Los Angeles, despite Eric's claims that his charity could use the golf course for free, a report said Tuesday.

The Forbes report further stated that the donors to the cancer charity were told their money was going to help sick children. However, a huge amount of money was re-donated to other charities, many of which were directly connected to Trump's family members. The article also stated that the Donald J. Trump Foundation, set up by the president, "apparently used Eric's charity to funnel $100,000 in donations into generating revenue for the Trump Organization."

The Trump Organization owns the golf course in Los Angeles, while the Donald J. Trump Foundation is a charitable organization. The $100,000 reportedly funneled to the Trump Organization is a part of the $1.2 million paid by the Eric Trump Foundation.

Read: Who Is Eric Trump? President-Elect’s Third Child Helped Raise Over $16 Million For Children’s Hospital, Report Shows

“All of this seems to defy federal tax rules and state laws that ban self-dealing and misleading donors. It also raises larger questions about the Trump family dynamics and whether Eric and his brother, Don Jr., can be truly independent of their father," the report added.

The article said Trump ordered his organization to start billing Eric’s foundation thousands of dollars even though he knew Eric’s cancer charity had not been charging its beneficiaries for the facilities and services it provided.

“During the past decade, the Eric Trump Foundation has raised over $16.3 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital while maintaining an expense ratio of just 12.3 percent. The Eric Trump Foundation was also responsible for building a $20 million dollar ICU which treats sick children anywhere in the world suffering from the most catastrophic terminal illnesses," a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization said in a statement.

“Contrary to recent reports, at no time did the Trump Organization profit in any way from the foundation or any of its activities. While people can disagree on political issues, to infer malicious intent on a charity that has changed so many lives, is not only shameful but is truly disgusting. At the end of the day the only people who lose are the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and other incredibly worthy causes,” the statement added.

When contacted by Forbes, Eric said that nearly all the money contributed to his foundation goes towards St. Jude children’s hospital as his charity makes profit from events held at the Trump family’s golf course in Westchester County, New York, and that the use of the golf course is free.

“We get to use our assets 100 percent free of charge,” Eric told Forbes, according to the article.

However, the Forbes article told a different story.

“That's not the case. In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it's clear that the course wasn't free — that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization.”

“Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament,” Forbes reported.

Currently, Eric is handling the Trump Organization along with his brother, Donald Jr. Since December 2016, the Eric Foundation has suspended its operations, following Trump’s 2016 presidential election win.