By: Jeremy Frankel
Prosecutors in New York have given attorneys for former President Donald Trump until Monday afternoon to provide an argument as to why the Trump Organization should not face criminal charges.
After it was reported last week that the Manhattan district attorney’s office was considering bringing criminal charges against Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and the Trump Organization as a whole, Trump’s attorneys appealed to prosecutors not to file charges against the company. Two sources told The Washington Post that the attorneys now have until Monday to make the case as to why charges should not be filed.
According to The Hill, the Manhattan D.A.’s investigation has to do with the company’s financial dealings and “whether it inflated the value of some assets to deceive lenders and insurers.” Additionally, the charges that would be brought against Weisselberg are over tax issues, The Hill adds.
The investigation was originally a civil investigation, but the New York attorney general’s office announced last month that it had been expanded to a criminal investigation as well. A spokesperson for the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James said at the time that “We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature. We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA. We have no additional comment at this time.”
The Hill further notes that Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr. and Letitia James, both Democrats, are working together on the investigation.
Since leaving the White House in January, the former businessman and reality TV star retains a strong hold on many Republican voters — despite losing his powerful social-media megaphones of Twitter and Facebook.
For his part, Trump denies wrongdoing, and has described a parallel criminal investigation by Manhattan’s district attorney as “a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in the history of our country.”
“We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature,” said a spokesman for the state’s attorney general Letitia James.
The organization is the holding company for hundreds of Trump entities, ranging from hotels to golf courses.
James’s office has otherwise been investigating allegations of bank fraud and insurance fraud through civil proceedings.
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, has said that James “detests my father” and “campaigned on taking my father down.”
Eric Trump texted The Washington Post a video montage of James speeches, largely from her 2018 campaign, in which she criticized Trump and promised to challenge his policies and investigate his business.
One clip shows James describing Trump as an “illegitimate president.”
Another, from James’ campaign, shows her saying, “We’re going to definitely sue him. … He’s going to know my name personally.”
Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, has called out New York’s efforts a “fishing expedition” being conducted as “part of a continued political vendetta.”
