Trump sues to stop N.Y. probe of his business
Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday against the New York state attorney general, Letitia James, seeking to halt her longrunning civil inquiry into his business practices and to bar her from participating in a separate criminal investigation.
The suit, filed in federal court in Albany, N.Y., by Trump and his family real estate business, argued that James’ involvement in both inquiries was entirely politically motivated, a tack that Trump has deployed in the past when faced with scrutiny by law enforcement and others.
The lawsuit cited a long list of James’ public attacks on Trump in the past, including while she was running for office, to argue that she had violated the former president’s constitutional rights. “Her mission is guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent,” the suit reads.
In a statement, James, a Democrat, said the lawsuit would not deter the inquiry.
Trump faces a high bar in proving that James violated his rights, according to legal experts, some of whom predicted that James would prevail even if a judge concluded that her comments were inappropriate.
The former president previously argued that he was the victim of political harassment when he tried to challenge a criminal investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., also a Democrat.
That fight, over a subpoena for the former president’s tax returns, significantly delayed the investigation, before Trump’s argument was ultimately rejected by the Supreme Court in February.
In a statement Monday, Trump addressed James directly, calling her investigation “a continuation of the political witch hunt that has gone on against me.”
“This is not about delay, this is about our Constitution!” the statement said.
Vance’s criminal investigation, which James’ office is assisting, is centered on whether Trump fraudulently inflated the value of his assets to dupe banks into providing him with loans.
While the lawsuit might delay or distract from James’ investigation, a judge is unlikely to halt it altogether, experts in civil rights law said. There is no constitutional protection against a prosecutor harboring a political bias, the experts said.
Trump can challenge any particular subpoena as overly broad or unfair, but when he has done so in the past, judges have ruled against him.