Lawyer for Trump Foundation says New York attorney general’s lawsuit filled with ‘bias’

A spokeswoman for the attorney general says they 'won't back down'

US President Donald Trump (AP)

Lawyers for the Trump Foundation are seeking to get a lawsuit against the foundation over the its activities dismissed, claiming the suit is “bias” and politically motivated.

Attorney General Barbara Underwood filed a lawsuit against the foundation as part of an ongoing probe seeking to dissolve the foundation and $2.8m in restitution. The suit alleged the foundation’s spending had personally benefited the president and with “repeated wilful self-dealing”.

Trump Foundation attorney Alan S Futerfas argued in a Thursday court filing that Donald Trump and his children Donald Jr. Trump , Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump had done nothing wrong to justify the suit, Reuters reported.

He accused Ms Underwood’s predecessor who began the probe, former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of making it his “stated mission to ‘lead the resistance’ and attack Mr. Trump whenever possible”. Mr Schneiderman had resigned from office earlier this year after being accused of abusing women, which he denied.

“The appearance of bias and impropriety on the part of this governmental agency, charged with impartial decision-making, is simply overwhelming,” Mr Futerfas wrote.

According to Reuters, Mr Futerfas also attacked former President Bill Clinton in the filing, questioning why Ms Underwood had ignored “serious and significant allegations of misconduct” regarding his foundation.

Amy Spitalnick, the communications director Ms Underwood, said on Twitter that the attorney general’s office “won’t back down” in light of the recent court filing.

“As our lawsuit detailed, the Trump Foundation functioned as a personal piggy bank to serve Trump’s business and political interests,” she wrote in a statement. “We won’t back down from holding PResident Trump and his associates accountable for their flagrant violations of New York law.”