Letitia James
Summons to the ex-president and his children: This woman messes with the Trump family
“Stand up to the powerful in the name of the weak”: Letitia James, Attorney General for New York State (archive image)
© Richard Drew / DPA
Letitia James is investigating Donald Trump’s company for possible financial offenses. For this she has both the ex-president and his children Donald jr. and Ivanka summoned. But who is the woman who takes on the Trumps?
Big names don’t scare Letitia James: The New York State Attorney General led an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against then Governor Andrew Cuomo, which resulted in his resignation last year. In August 2020, she sued the powerful gun lobby National Rifle Association (NRA) and its top leaders for mismanagement. And the 63-year-old is known nationwide for her frequent legal battles with Donald Trump.
After being elected New York attorney general in 2019 as the first woman and first black woman, James filed dozens of lawsuits against the Republican Trump administration over federal immigration, environmental, and other policies. “I’ve sued the Trump administration 76 times. But who’s counting that?”, She said at the end of October with a shrug and a sly smile when she announced her candidacy for the gubernatorial elections in November 2022. “In my career I have been guided by a simple principle: stand up to the powerful in the name of the weak.”
Letitia James has been investigating Donald Trump’s company since 2019
But James – born in the New York borough of Brooklyn and raised with seven siblings – not only tackled Trump’s politics as US president, she has also been leading civil investigations against the billionaire’s corporation for more than two years. The allegation: The family holding is said to have artificially inflated the value of real estate when it wanted to receive loans from banks, and then reduced it when it came to paying taxes.
For example, the Trump organization put the value of an office building on Wall Street at $ 527 million when it listed its assets for potential lenders in 2012; a few months later, she told property tax authorities that the 70-story building was worth only $ 16.7 million, like the Washington Post citing documents from the city. The value of a Trump golf club in California was quoted at $ 900,000 or $ 25 million, depending on the audience, while the valuations of a property in a New York suburb ranged between $ 56 and 291 million.
In October 2020, James’ employees questioned Trump’s son Eric, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, about the allegations. And as a court document has now confirmed, the attorney general also summoned Donald Trump himself and his children Donald junior and Ivanka in December. The ex-president is due to testify this Friday.
These (former) Trump confidants have to testify before the January 6th committee
7 images
It can hardly be assumed that Donald Trump will actually appear at the prosecutor’s office in two days. According to the court documents, the family has already requested the annulment of the summons, which James responded with sharp allegations: For more than two years, members of the Trump family and the Trump organization have been constantly trying to “delay and hinder” their investigations, criticized the chief prosecutor who is a member of the Democratic Party. Nevertheless, the Trumps would have to observe the same rules as all other citizens “despite their family name”.
James could go to court over Trump subpoenas
Should Trump refuse to answer James’s questions, she could take him to court to get him to give in. In early 2021, a judge forced the ex-president to testify in a case where his security guards were accused of attacking protesters in 2015. And Donald junior and Ivanka could not avoid an oath questioning by the Attorney General of Washington in December 2020 and February 2021 about their involvement in the inauguration of their father.
Just how seriously Letitia James takes her job as attorney general was shown four weeks ago: After only two months, the 63-year-old retired from the race for governor. Instead, she will run for re-election for her current office, New York’s chief law enforcement officer announced in early December. “I have come to the conclusion that I need to continue my work as Attorney General. There are a number of important investigations and cases ongoing and I intend to quit. I am running for re-election to do the job for which the New Yorkers chose me. “
James never mentioned the name Trump in her statement. However, given the cases on her desk, it should be clear which “work” she wants to complete. Governor Kathy Hochul, successor to Andrew Cuomo, left no doubt about the addressees in her reaction to the withdrawal notification from her internal party competitor: “This is a very bad day for Donald Trump and the NRA when we have Tish James, one of the best attorneys-general of the country who are finally focused on making sure justice is done. “
Sources: Letitia James’ press release, Letitia James on Twitter, Washington Post I., Washington Post II, CNN, Associated Press I.,Associated Press II, “Huffington Post,