After New York Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump during her investigation into the Trump Organiz...
After New York Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump during her investigation into the Trump Organization, both Trump children have signaled they will not comply.
According to ABC News, James and a Trump Organization attorney jointly filed a document Monday explaining, “A dispute has arisen between the OAG and the Individual Trump Parties regarding the Subpoenas.”
Neither Donald Trump Jr. nor Ivanka Trump plan to comply with James’ subpoenas, ABC reported. Instead, both plan to file motions to quash them.
In a December article, The Washington Post explained the scope of James’ investigation into the Trump Organization. The outlet reported James was trying to determine whether fraud “permeated the Trump Organization.”
James requested to take a deposition from former President Donald Trump on Jan. 7 in her New York office, the Post reported.
In a statement, the Trump Organization indicated it had no plans to comply with such a request.
“This is another political witch-hunt,” the statement said, according to the Post.
“The only focus of the New York AG is to investigate Trump, all for her own political ambitions … This political prosecution is illegal, unethical and is a travesty to our great state and legal system.”
Ronald Fischetti, who has served as one of Trump’s attorneys during allegations of fraud in his financial practices, also indicated Trump’s plan to fight James’ request in court.Fischetti said James has suspiciously been working alongside Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who is overseeing a criminal probe of
the Trump Organization in addition to James’ civil probe.
“What she has been doing, Letitia James, is working with the district attorney’s office, working hand-in-hand with Vance,” Fischetti said. “This is an opportunity for them to get Donald Trump’s testimony under oath and then turn it over to the district attorney’s office.”
According to the Post, both parties are looking into the possibility that the Trump Organization was illegally “providing low values to property tax officers, while using high ones to garner tax breaks or impress lenders.”
Eric Trump, another son of the former president, was already questioned in October 2020. He eventually chose to comply with the subpoena after initially saying he planned to fight it.
It is well within the legal rights of Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. to file motions to quash James’ subpoenas.
Nonetheless, Democratic donor Jon Cooper suggested on Twitter that they should both be imprisoned.
The investigation has yielded just one indictment so far. It came in July when the Trump Organization and its longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg were both charged with fraud, The Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors alleged the company gave Weisselberg “fringe benefits” that were not reported on tax returns. Both parties pleaded not guilty, and Weisselberg’s lawyers pledged to fight the charges.
No comments