Trump inquiries to continue
Cuomo says Mueller findings won’t halt looks at business, taxes
The many investigations of President Donald J. Trump, his associates, and his business dealings by multiple state and New York-based federal agencies will continue in the wake of reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not find evidence that the president colluded with Russia to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, citing the multiple indictments of Trump associates produced by the Mueller probe, said Tuesday that he did not think the report’s findings would undermine local investigations.
Trump “is not out of the woods — there are many cases that are pending,” Cuomo told WNYC’S Brian Lehrer on Tuesday. “It’s been acknowledged that people (close to the president) have done criminal acts.”
The president is being investigated by numerous state entities, including Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the state’s attorney general, and the state Department of Taxation and Finance for civil and criminal offenses related to his businesses, his charitable foundation, and his presidential campaign.
Most recently, on March 11, Attorney General Letitia James’ office subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and Investors Bank, which allegedly provided funds for Trump Organization projects. The latest inquiry came after Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified before a congressional committee that the president had inf lated his assets to investors and the media, and understated them to tax authorities.
Last week, Trump characterized Cuomo and state authorities in his home state on Twitter as “presidential harassers.”
The attorney general’s office last year filed a civil lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation and its directors — Trump’s three adult children — alleging a “pattern of persistent illegal conduct, occurring over more than a decade,” including using the foundation for campaign purposes.
In December, the
Trumps agreed to dissolve the organization, but James is still suing the first family for restitution.
The
Department of Taxation and Finance, meanwhile, is seeking criminal charges related to the Trump foundation. It is also investigating various tax schemes uncovered by a New York Times investigation.
Meanwhile, the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington, D.C., are looking into Trump for allegedly violating the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause, which prohibits someone in public office from accepting a gift or payment from a “King, Prince or foreign state.”