New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, apparently decided to wait until the Republican National Convention kicked off in Charlotte on Monday to announce that she was taking action against the Trump Organization.
“I took action to force the Trump Organization, and specifically EVP Eric Trump, to comply with my office’s ongoing investigation into its financial dealings,” James said in a statement. “For months, the Trump Organization has failed to fully comply with our subpoenas in this investigation.”
“Our investigation began after Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump’s annual financial statements inflated the values of his assets to obtain favorable terms for loans & insurance coverage, while also deflating the value of other assets to reduce real estate taxes,” James continued. “We are seeking thousands of documents and testimony from multiple witnesses regarding several Trump Organization properties and transactions, including from Eric Trump, who was intimately involved in one or more transactions under review.”
“The Trump Organization has stalled, withheld documents, and instructed witnesses, including Eric Trump, to refuse to answer questions under oath,” James claimed. “That’s why we filed a motion to compel the Trump Organization to comply with our lawful subpoenas for documents and testimony.”
James’ lawsuit against the Trump Organization comes at the same time that the Republican National Convention kicked off in Charlotte on Monday as President Donald Trump seeks re-election.
James has been accused of using her office as a law enforcement official in the state of New York to go after political opponents.
James, who was elected in 2018, made controversial remarks during an interview to NBC News after being elected, saying that she planned to “use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well.”
The New York Times reported that, according to legal experts, “Her strident attacks on the president could potentially threaten the legal standing of cases that her office brings against Mr. Trump, his family members or their business interests.” The Times added that James claims that Trump is an “illegitimate president,” which is false.
Daniel Goldman, who was one of the Democrats’ witnesses against Trump during the impeachment hearings, said that James’ targeting of Trump looked like “an individualized political vendetta.”
“If there were to be a motion to dismiss because of bias, the attorney general’s office would have to show a stronger factual basis for the legal issue,” Goldman said. “If there is a close call along the way, it could have an impact on the way a judge rules.”
James was widely accused of using her office to ruin political opponents when she filed a lawsuit last month in an attempt to destroy the National Rifle Association (NRA), America’s largest Second Amendment advocacy group.
Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) Chairman Louisiana Attorney blasted James’ “manipulation of our legal system for political gain” in a statement in response to her targeting of the NRA.
“Lawless liberals have hit a new low in their pursuit of defunding the police, discarding the Second Amendment, and deterring our ability to protect ourselves,” Landry wrote. “The New York Attorney General is shamefully abusing her power to target a political adversary, the same way a Saint Louis prosecutor did last month when she took guns away from citizens trying to protect themselves. This action is no different than what Democrats did during the shameful impeachment of President Trump: an attempt to use the levers of government to go after political opponents.”
“From their endorsement of the ‘defund the police’ movement to cancelling our Founding Fathers, and now cancelling our founding principles, there has been a troubling pattern from the Democrat attorneys general in recent months,” Landry continued. “We must stop the madness. Fortunately, the American people can read the tea leaves of this lawsuit – it is a partisan hit job aimed at empowering the mob and endangering law abiding citizens, who respect the Second Amendment.”