Federal judge dismisses Trump's bid to block N.Y. attorney general's tax fraud probe
A federal judge dismissed former President Donald Trump's lawsuit to stop the New York attorney general's investigation into his company's business practices.
A federal judge on Friday dismissed former President Donald Trump's lawsuit to stop the New York attorney general's office from continuing its sprawling investigation into his company's business practices.
Trump had sued Attorney General Letitia James in December, arguing her years-long civil tax fraud investigation “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 filing pointed to numerous disparaging statements James had made about Trump over the years, including calling him an "illegitimate president" and telling NBC News after her election in 2018 that she planned to “use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his businesses transactions and that of his family as well."
Trump fined $10,000 a day for civil contemptApril 25, 202200:58In her 43-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes said that while Trump and his company pointed to several comments that they argue show James' "personal animus toward Mr. Trump and evince an intent to retaliate for or stifle plaintiffs’ free speech," they did not show her effort to enforce subpoenas against the company "was commenced for the purpose of retaliation."
"The fact that defendant’s public statements reflect personal and/or political animus toward plaintiffs is not, in and of itself, sufficient," the judge said, noting the investigation had a "legitimate factual predicate" in former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's testimony before Congress about Trump’s business practices in February of 2019.
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