New York state Attorney General Letitia James (D) has now publicly reiterated that she intends to stay committed to obtaining testimony from Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump, Jr., as part of a civil investigation by her office into the Trump family’s business practices. James has issued subpoenas for these three members of the Trump family, but predictably, they’re fighting the demands for their testimony. Lawyers for the Trumps referred to the subpoenas as “an unprecedented and unconstitutional maneuver” in a recent court filing, complaining about the possibility of testimony obtained amid James’s civil investigation being used against them in a criminal probe that was kickstarted by ex-Manhattan-area District Attorney Cy Vance.
Schumer: “If you have any doubt, where Donald Trump wants this country to go, look at who he endorsed yesterday: Orban. A dictator who is infringing on democracy in Hungary."
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 4, 2022
James commented as follows this week:
‘For more than two years, members of the Trump family and the Trump Organization have continually sought to delay and impede our investigation into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, but despite their names, they must play by the same rules as everyone else. These delay tactics will not stop us from following the facts or the law, which is why we will be asking the court to compel Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump to testify with our office under oath. Our investigation will continue undeterred.’
Guardian US: Jan. 6 committee is expecting a breakthrough with the Supreme Court, which experts believe will ensure the panel can access Trump White House records over the former president’s objections.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) January 4, 2022
The James investigation has focused on issues including the Trump company’s valuations of its assets. Concerns have been raised about whether the company fraudulently adjusted those valuations in order to obtain benefits like favorable loan terms and kickbacks on taxes — a higher valuation could make the company look financially better off to potential lenders, while a lower one could lower tax bills. The company’s valuations could wildly vary: it told prospective lenders in 2012 that a particular Manhattan building was worth $527 million, and then months later, it told tax authorities that the same building was only worth $16.7 million.
Trump and his supporters already tried to overthrow the government once.
When they do it again, is Congress going to roll over and let them do it? Or will they fight for our democracy?
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) January 4, 2022
Although Eric Trump was left off the list of Trumps facing subpoenas, he has already spoken with investigators as part of the investigation James is leading. Trump recently filed a lawsuit against James, trying to get both her civil investigation and her participation in the Manhattan-area criminal probe ended. Although civil investigations can not result in criminal charges, the criminal investigation — which has most recently featured the cooperation of James’s office and the office of the Manhattan-area district attorney — has already culminated in tax evasion charges for the Trump company and its chief financial officer. That underlying probe is continuing.
NY Att'y General James: "Delay tactics will not stop us from following the facts or the law, which is why we will be asking the court to compel Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump to testify with our office under oath. Our investigation will continue undeterred."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 4, 2022
