NEW YORK - The New York state Attorney-General, Ms Letitia James, accused Mr Donald Trump's family business late Tuesday of repeatedly misrepresenting the value of its assets to bolster its bottom line, saying in court papers that the company had engaged in"fraudulent or misleading" practices.and two of his adult children under oath as part of a civil investigation of his business, the Trump Organisation.
Her broadside ratchets up the pressure on Mr Trump as he seeks to shut down her investigation, which he has called a partisan witch hunt. Ms James is a Democrat. Ms James' filing argued that the company misstated the value of the properties to lenders, insurers and the Internal Revenue Service. Lawyers from Ms James' office are working on that separate investigation, which is continuing. Mr Bragg, also a Democrat, inherited the inquiry from his predecessor after taking office Jan 1.In early December, Ms James issued a subpoena for Mr Trump as well as for Mr Donald Trump Jr and Ms Ivanka Trump, seeking to question them as part of her civil inquiry. Ms James already questioned another of Mr Trump's sons, Mr Eric Trump, in October 2020.
This month, Mr Trump's lawyers also filed court papers in New York state seeking to block Ms James' subpoenas, prompting her filing Tuesday.