NY attorney general seeks Trump’s testimony in civil probe

By MICHAEL R. SISAK

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s lawyer wide is seeking erstwhile President Donald Trump’s grounds successful an ongoing civilian probe into his concern practices, a idiosyncratic acquainted with the substance said.

Attorney General Letitia James’ bureau has requested that Trump beryllium for a deposition connected Jan. 7, according to the person, who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that of the ongoing investigation.

The quality was archetypal reported by The Washington Post.

Trump’s representatives did not instantly effect to requests for comment. A connection seeking remark was near with Trump’s lawyer, Ronald Fischetti. James’ bureau declined to comment.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan territory attorney’s office, which is conducting a parallel transgression probe into Trump’s concern dealings, said Thursday that the interrogation petition “is not portion of the transgression investigation.”

In the past, the Republican ex-president has decried the investigations arsenic portion of a “witch hunt.”

James, a Democrat, has spent much than 2 years looking astatine whether Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, misled banks oregon taxation officials astir the worth of assets — inflating them to summation favorable indebtedness presumption oregon minimizing them to reap taxation savings.

Requesting Trump’s grounds is simply a archetypal measurement successful a process that could yet pb to issuing a subpoena and going to a justice to bid him to cooperate if helium were to refuse.

James had announced a tally for New York politician successful precocious October, but connected Thursday, she suspended that run and cited ongoing investigations successful her determination to alternatively question reelection arsenic authorities lawyer general.

James’ investigators past twelvemonth interviewed 1 of Trump’s sons, Trump Organization enforcement Eric Trump, arsenic portion of the probe. James’ bureau went to tribunal to enforce a subpoena connected the younger Trump and a justice forced him to attest aft his lawyers abruptly canceled a antecedently scheduled deposition.

Although the civilian probe is abstracted from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.‘s transgression investigation, James’ bureau has been progressive successful both. Earlier this year, Vance gained entree to the longtime existent property mogul’s taxation records aft a multiyear combat that doubly went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Vance, who is leaving bureau astatine the extremity of the year, precocious convened a caller expansive assemblage to perceive grounds arsenic helium weighs whether to question much indictments successful the case, which resulted successful taxation fraud charges successful July against the Trump Organization and its longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg.

Weisselberg has pleaded not blameworthy to charges alleging helium and the institution cheated taxation authorities with lucrative, untaxed fringe benefits. He is owed backmost successful tribunal adjacent July.

Asked astir the presumption of the transgression probe, Vance said past week: “I deliberation it’s beauteous wide that our probe is progressive and ongoing.”

Both investigations are astatine slightest partially related to allegations made successful quality reports and by Trump’s erstwhile idiosyncratic lawyer, Michael Cohen, that Trump had a past of misrepresenting the worth of assets.

James’ bureau issued subpoenas to section governments arsenic portion of the civilian probe for records pertaining to Trump’s property northbound of Manhattan, Seven Springs, and a taxation payment Trump received for placing onshore into a conservation trust. Vance aboriginal issued subpoenas seeking galore of the aforesaid records.

James’ bureau has besides been looking astatine akin issues relating to a Trump bureau gathering successful New York City, a edifice successful Chicago and a play people adjacent Los Angeles. Her bureau besides won a bid of tribunal rulings forcing Trump’s institution and a instrumentality steadfast it hired to crook implicit troves of records.

In October, Trump testified nether oath down closed doors for respective hours during a deposition successful a suit brought by protesters who accidental his information squad roughed them up successful the aboriginal days of his statesmanlike run successful 2015.

Trump had faced a Dec. 23 deadline for questioning successful erstwhile “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos’ defamation suit against him, but she dropped the lawsuit past month.

Trump was little cooperative with peculiar counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian predetermination interference.

Mueller’s squad of investigators sought an interrogation with Trump for months and though Trump, astatine times, stated publically that helium was consenting to beryllium down with them, his lawyers agelong resisted the overture.

Instead, Trump’s lawyers successful November 2018 submitted written responses connected definite topics that Mueller’s squad regarded arsenic “inadequate.” Prosecutors successful that substance decided against subpoenaing Trump to compel his testimony.

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Associated Press reporters Jill Colvin successful New York and Eric Tucker successful Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow Michael Sisak connected Twitter astatine twitter.com/mikesisak