New York’s attorney-general has expanded the investigation into Donald Trump’s business empire, issuing subpoenas to the ex-president’s two eldest children in addition to the former property developer himself.
Letitia James issued the subpoenas to Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump jnr in early December, according to court documents filed with the New York Supreme Court on Monday. A spokesperson from her office said investigators were "seeking interviews under oath" for all three family members.
The court filings said the subpoenas were issued "in connection with an investigation into the valuation of properties owned or controlled by Donald J Trump or the Trump Organisation".
Ms James’s investigation is believed to focus on whether Donald Trump inflated the value of his properties for some purposes – such as securing a bank loan or insurance – while minimising them when it came to paying taxes.
Lawyers for the Trumps filed a motion on Monday evening seeking to quash the subpoenas, arguing they can only be legally issued by a grand jury, but Ms James said in a statement she would ask the court to compel all three to testify.
Impeding investigation
“For more than two years, members of the Trump family and the Trump Organisation have continually sought to delay and impede our investigation,” Ms James said. “But despite their names, they must play by the same rules as everyone else.”
The subpoenas come after Ms James in September signalled that more charges were likely to emerge from the three-year investigation into Mr Trump’s business dealings.
“I can assure you that that investigation remains alive and well. So stay tuned,” she said at the time.
The subpoena requests were made at a delicate time for the probe, ahead of the departure of Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan district attorney who in July jointly with Ms James unveiled a 15-count criminal indictment against the Trump Organisation and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
Veteran prosecutor
Mr Vance, who did not seek re-election in November, was replaced by Alvin Bragg, a veteran prosecutor who was sworn into office on New Year's Day.
Legal experts have said the case against Mr Weisselberg appeared part of an effort to pressure him to testify against Mr Trump in both the Manhattan and New York state investigations. Mr Weisselberg has pleaded not guilty. Mr Trump has dismissed the case as “a political witch hunt” crafted by his Democratic detractors.
In their motion to block the subpoenas, the Trump lawyers argued that the joint prosecution by New York state and the Manhattan district attorney meant that the case should be handled through criminal procedures, which are more restrictive for prosecutors.
The New York attorney-general usually only pursues civil cases, in which rules for subpoenas are more lenient, Trump lawyers argued. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022
