Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have sued New York attorney general Letitia James in order to halt her office’s ongoing investigations into his business. The New York Times reported that the former president filed the suit Monday in federal court and is suing James in her official capacity, claiming her office is violating his 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 lawsuit says, according to the Times.
James responded to the suit in a statement: “The Trump Organization has continually sought to delay our investigation into its business dealings, and now Donald Trump and his namesake company have filed a lawsuit as an attempted collateral attack on that investigation. To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions. Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump.”
The attorney general’s office has been conducting a civil investigation into whether Trump’s company lied about its assets in order to obtain loans and later undervalued them to avoid taxes. Recently, it was reported that James is seeking to subpoena Trump for his testimony in the inquiry.
The state investigation has been working in tandem with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is also investigating the former president and his business. That inquiry was started by Cyrus Vance Jr., who is set to leave office at the end of the year. Alvin Bragg, the incoming district attorney, told CNN he intends to focus on the Trump case personally in his new role.
