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New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has opened an investigation into the Donald J. Trump Foundation "to make sure it's complying with the laws governing charities in New York," he said Tuesday.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed Schneiderman's remark and said the New York Attorney General's office "has opened an inquiry into the Trump Foundation based on troubling transactions that have recently come to light."

Schneiderman -- who for months has tangled with Trump over a fraud lawsuit his office filed against Trump University, the Manhattan billionaire's real estate seminar program -- told CNN's "The Lead" that the GOP nominee's charitable foundation is also under scrutiny.

"My interest in this issue really is in my capacity as regulator of non-profits in New York state. And we have been concerned that the Trump Foundation may have engaged in some impropriety from that point of view," Schneiderman told host Jake Tapper. "And we've inquired into it and we've had correspondence with them. I didn't make a big deal out of it or hold a press conference. We have been looking into the Trump Foundation to make sure it's complying with the laws governing charities in New York."

Trump's charity has face growing questions in the wake of a damaging series of stories by the Washington Post and the AP. A Washington Post story published over the weekend cited tax records showing that Trump had not donated to his own foundation since 2008, and had among other allegations had "spent $20,000 of money earmarked for charitable purposes to buy a six-foot-tall painting of himself.

The foundation also made an illegal donation to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2013 as she was considering joining Schneiderman in pursuing a fraud case against Trump University. Bondi and Trump have denied any connection between the donation and her office's decision not to pursue an investigation, though Trump paid a $2,500 penalty to the IRS for making a political donation through his charitable foundation.

Spokespeople for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ben Schreckinger contributed.

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