SEEING DOUBLE: NY AG Letitia James files new lawsuit against Trump Organization II

SEEING DOUBLE: NY AG Letitia James files new lawsuit against Trump Organization II

A new filing in Donald Trump’s New York case accuses him of trying to “avoid existing responsibilities” by restructuring his business into a new entity, but nobody accuses him of creativity. New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking the court to appoint a monitor to keep him from hiding or transferring assets before a judgment.

AG James says that since she filed her lawsuit alleging that Trump’s companies falsified financial statements, his organization has continued to engage in fraudulent practices. On the same day, the civil lawsuit was announced, alleging that he filed a new company in Delaware.

They used a familiar name.

Trump Organization II.

The AG’s office is asking the court to intervene and appoint an independent monitor to prevent the former president from dodging his responsibility, including preventing him from moving assets to a new company or submitting fraudulent financial disclosures.

James alleges that Trump continues to use false valuations for his Mar-a-Lago resort, among other things. His attorney continues to claim that the investigation is political in nature, and that it’s intended only to “aid [A.G. James’] failing political campaign.” An ABC report adds:

In Thursday’s motion, James said that nearly a month after she filed her suit, the former president and his son Eric have refused to accept service of the lawsuit. She sought permission to serve them electronically.

The investigation into Trump’s businesses began after Michael Cohen, his former attorney, told Congress that Trump routinely misstated the value of his properties, reducing them for the purposes of lowering tax responsibility and increasing them when applying for loans or other benefits.

The investigative process has crawled, but Trump and others involved with the company have been deposed, although Trump himself refused to actually answer questions. In fact, he pled the Fifth Amendment over 440 times during the course of questioning to avoid self-incrimination, according to CNBC.

His former Chief Financial Officer, Allan Weisselberg, has already pled guilty to charges and is cooperating with the investigation of the Trump Organization. According to NPR, this concession allowed him to seek a sentence of only 100 days, rather than 15 months or more, for his role.

As usual, James isn’t playing games with Trump, saying in a statement Thursday, “Our investigation uncovered the fact that Donald Trump and the Trump Organization engaged in significant fraud to inflate his personal net worth by billions of dollars to illegally enrich himself and cheat the system.”

James went on to assure that no one, not even the ex-president, is above the law, adding, “Since we filed this sweeping lawsuit last month, Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have continued those same fraudulent practices and taken measures to evade responsibility. Today, we are seeking an immediate stop to these actions because Mr. Trump should not get to play by different rules.”

A.G. James released a statement in a series of tweets from her official account:

Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: