A charity event hosted by former First Lady Melania Trump is being investigated after organizers said a portion of ticket proceeds would be donated to a charity that doesn't appear to exist, according to The New York Times.
Trump will be hosting a "tulips and topiaries high tea" event in Naples, Florida in April. V.I.P. tickets for the event cost $50,000, while regular tickets were priced at $3,000.
It's unclear how much of the proceeds would be donated to charity.
The profits from the event are supposed to go towards her "Be Best" endeavor called "Fostering the Future." The program is designed to provide computer-science scholarships to young people that have been in foster care.
However, there aren't any charities called "Fostering the Future" or "Be Best" registered in Florida. It is a state requirement for an organization that raises money for charity in the state to be registered.
The Florida agency that oversees charitable fund-raising confirmed to The New York Times that it opened an inquiry after not finding the charity registered in the state.
“Consumer Services Division is currently investigating whether this event involves an entity operating in violation of Chapter 496, Florida Statutes,” Erin M. Moffet, an agency spokeswoman, said in a statement.
Mrs. Trump sent a tweet in response to the report, denying that anything she or the organization has done is illegal.
"Dishonest reporting at it again. Everything has been done lawfully, & all documents are in the works. Read with caution-typical corrupt media," Mrs. Trump tweeted. "We are working w/Bradley Impact Fund, a Donor-Advised Fund, to select charities that will receive the donations to foster children."
The Bradley Impact Fund has backed several organizations that promote 2020 election fraud conspiracies, according to The Intercept.
Whip Fundraising is the company sponsoring Melania Trump's "high tea" event, as it isn't the first time they have worked with the family. They organized Donald Trump's holiday party, also in Naples, in December and charged $10,000 a ticket.
"Mr. Keltner, the owner of Whip Fundraising, said that events like the one in Naples raised large sums for charity but declined to discuss the specifics of any events with Mr. Trump," according to the New York Times.
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