Donald Trump: Another case in his collection

Former US President Donald Trump is again the target of legal action, this time over the Trump Organization’s tax practices.

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In particular, the value of the Trump family organization’s real estate assets was repeatedly and consistently manipulated to induce banks to lend on more favorable terms, the state attorney general said Wednesday. New York.

“In short, he lied to obtain substantial financial benefits,” explained Letitia James.

So, on behalf of the state of New York, he sought $250 million in damages from the Trump Organization.

It also seeks to ban Donald Trump and his children Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric from owning companies.

The complaint, filed in New York State Supreme Court, ‘proves that Donald Trump has falsely inflated his net worth. [de ses biens] It costs billions of dollars to unjustly enrich themselves, cheat the system, and cheat us all,” said Mr.^me James at the press conference.

For example, the value of the Trump Tower triplex on 5th Avenue in New York was reported based on an area three times larger than reality, and would be valued at US$327 million.

The cases come after more than three years of investigations and a month after the former Republican president was sworn in.

• Listen to an interview with Guillaume Lavoie, co-chair Raul-Dandurand on QUB Radio:

End of shopping

A Democratic attorney has called for Trump or the company to be barred from buying commercial real estate in New York state or soliciting loans from financial institutions.

The investigation opened in 2019 after the explosive testimony in Congress of Michael Cohen, one of Donald Trump’s former personal lawyers, who became one of his opponents.

The allegations, he told CNN, were a “total destruction” of Trump’s image as a wealthy self-made businessman.

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On her Truth social network, Trump denounced “a new witch hunt,” which Letitia James accused of political prosecution.

“Today’s case is neither factual nor legal — rather, it focuses solely on advancing the attorney general’s political agenda,” his lawyer, Alina Hubba, told CNN.

If the case is one more legal thorn for the 76-year-old, political scientist Raphael Jacob believes it is not politically dangerous.

“For an ordinary candidate it would be too politically intense. For him, I don’t think it’s a hard blow. […] It’s almost like any other message for Trump,” he analysed.

A researcher from the Raul-Dandurand Chair at UQAM notes that someone who has been prosecuted or found guilty in civil proceedings is still eligible to run for president.

The 45th President of the United States, who is openly planning to run again in 2024, is currently not being prosecuted.

– with AFP

Other investigations surrounding Donald Trump

The former US president has been targeted in three other criminal and parliamentary investigations, but has not been charged.

White House Archives

When Donald Trump left the White House, he defied the law requiring all documents to be returned to the National Archives and took entire boxes of documents with him.

In January, he turned over 15 boxes, but federal police said he kept more at his Florida home.

On August 8, the FBI conducted a surprise search of Mar-a-Lago on a warrant for “withholding classified documents” and “obstructing a federal investigation” and seized 30 more boxes.

Capital Assault

After an attack on a congressional seat by supporters of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, when elected officials certified the victory of his rival in the presidential election, Joe Biden, the federal judiciary launched a wide-ranging investigation.

A parliamentary committee has been investigating the former president’s role in the attack for more than a year. During several hearings, he showed that he had put more pressure on the election officials after the 2020 polls.

The commission is expected to release a preliminary report in October that could recommend a Republican prosecution. The final word will go to Joe Biden-appointed Justice Secretary Merrick Garland, who has the authority on the matter.

2020 election in Georgia

A Georgia state attorney has been investigating “attempts to influence election proceedings” in the conservative southern state since 2021, but was won by Joe Biden.

In a phone call, Donald Trump asked a senior Georgia official to “find” nearly 12,000 votes in his name, enough to swing the results in the state.

Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis empaneled a grand jury to determine if there was enough evidence to indict him. He has already gathered testimony from people in Trump’s inner circle, including former lawyer Rudy Giuliani.