The attorney general of New York is taking legal action against the Trump Organization amid an investigation into the company.
Attorney General Letitia James' office in a legal filing on Monday asked a judge to force the Trump Organization to provide information it has been seeking in a probe of the company's financial dealings, The Washington Post reports. The investigation is focused on whether the Trump Organization "improperly inflated the value of Mr. Trump's assets on financial statements in order to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits," a filing said, per CNN.
James' office said she's seeking to compel testimony from Eric Trump, the president's son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, as well as "thousands of documents" that are being withheld. Eric Trump, according to James, has refused to provide testimony despite previously agreeing to an interview that was to take place last month.
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"For months, the Trump Organization has made baseless claims in an effort to shield evidence from a lawful investigation into its financial dealings,” James said. "They have stalled, withheld documents, and instructed witnesses, including Eric Trump, to refuse to answer questions under oath."
The New York attorney general's investigation into the Trump Organization was opened after Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, told Congress in 2019 that Trump "inflated his total assets when it served his purposes," as well as "deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes." The Trump Organization's chief legal officer, Alan Garten, said that James' "continued harassment of the company as we approach the election (and filing of this motion on the first day of the Republican National Convention) once again confirms that this investigation is all about politics."
