NY Attorney General Sues Trump Family and Business
Facts
- On Wednesday, NY Attorney General Letitia James announced a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump and members of his family after years of investigating the financial practices of the Trump Organization.
- The 221-page lawsuit alleges the company engaged in a years-long scheme including over 200 alleged instances of inflating property values across its international real estate empire.
- The lawsuit - also focusing on Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump - seeks a $250M penalty, as well as a ban on doing any business in NY. It would disallow Trump and the organization from buying any real estate in NY for the next five years.
- James' investigation was launched over three years ago after a former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, told federal lawmakers that the former president consistently inflated the value of his properties and net worth to gain better insurance and loan rates.
- One of the allegations in the suit claims that Trump's Florida golf resort property, Mar-a-Lago, was valued at $739M when its real valuation is estimated at roughly $75M.
- Though the lawsuit doesn't bring any criminal charges, James said her investigation had uncovered "criminal conduct," which is being referred to the federal attorney of the Southern District of NY and the Internal Revenue Service.
Sources: Guardian, CBS, Daily Wire, and USA Today.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Rolling Stone. This lawsuit is only the latest of mounting legal troubles for Trump. While the Trump Organization has repeatedly sought to stall and settle the investigation - even stooping to odd accusations of reverse racism - there is no stopping the tremendous heap of trouble that Trump, his family, and his businesses will face.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by FOX News. The hyper-political nature of this lawsuit couldn't be clearer, as Letitia James campaigned on her desire to go after Trump, harassed him and his family for years, and has now followed through on her promise. She once claimed Trump's presidency was "illegitimate" - now she's embarking on a blatant witch hunt.