New York AG files lawsuit against Trump

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday that her office filed a civil case against former President Donald Trump, his three oldest children, and two top executives. James said Trump used misleading statements to get better terms on loan and lease agreements and gain tax benefits. The lawsuit claims that Trump misled investors, inflating his net worth by billions. The suit seeks to stop Trump and his organization from any New York real estate acquisitions for five years and fine him $250 million—the amount that James said Trump gained by fraudulent practices. James also said that while the current case is civil, her investigation found potential criminal violations and she is referring those to federal prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service. 

What was Trump’s response? One of Trump’s attorneys, Alina Habba, said that the lawsuit is trying to advance James’ “political agenda.” She said the attorney general’s office exceeded its authority by prying into legal transactions. 

Dig deeper: Read Lynn Vincent’s report in WORLD magazine on what the investigations into Trump mean for American politics.