Former United States President Donald Trump clashes with Attorney General Letitia James over investigations into the Republican's businesses where the former is askinag a federal court to halt the probes, citing political bias.
The situation comes amid a sweeping investigation that is looking into the Trump Organization and its assets. It also seeks to enjoin James' involvement in any civil or criminal actions against the former President or his company.
Trump's Lawsuit
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Northern New York on Monday and accuses the attorney general of misconduct. It claims that she has taken advantage of her investigatory powers to target her political adversaries and advance her career.
"Since taking office, she has tirelessly bombarded him, his family, and his business, Trump Organization LLC, with unwarranted subpoenas in a bitter crusade to 'take on' the President," said the suit, CNN reported.
The lawsuit details James' alleged "personal disdain" for Trump and claims she made various statements targeting the Republican businessman in recent years. The list includes the attorney general's support of "die-in" protests against the former president, her boast that her office sued his administration 76 times, and Twitter posts during her 2018 campaign.
The Republican businessman's lawyers wrote in the lawsuit that James' mission was "guided solely" by political animus and her desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen. The documents alleged that the attorney general views Trump as a political opponent.
The attorney general previously issued a statement where she said that the Trump Organization has repeatedly sought to delay investigations into its business dealing. She added that the former president now has filed the lawsuit as an attempt to attack the probes, the Associated Press reported.
Despite the lawsuit, former President Trump has a tall order to prove that James did, in fact, violate his rights. Legal experts predicted that the attorney general would win the legal battle even if a judge concluded that her comments against Trump were inappropriate.
Legal Battles
The situation is similar to one that Trump has previously faced when he argued that he became the victim of political harassment when he tried to stop a criminal investigation by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. The legal battle was over a subpoena for the Republican businessman's tax returns.
Although the investigation was significantly delayed due to Trump's lawsuit and claims, the Supreme Court ultimately rejected the former president's argument in February. The Republican businessman also addressed James directly in a statement on Monday. He called her investigation a "continuation of the political witch hunt that has gone on against me."
James' office assisted with Vance's criminal investigation, which was centered on whether or not Trump fraudulently inflated the value of his assets to trick bank companies into giving him loans. Recently, the probe entered a critical phase as prosecutors questioned one of the Republican businessman's accountants before a grand jury.
By the end of the year, Vance is expected to leave office, but if prosecutors in his office conclude that Trump really did commit a crime, they could choose to indict him. But that decision would most likely be made by Vance's successor, Alvin Bragg, the New York Times reported.
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