These Trump Organization and family investigations are getting tough to keep up with, but this one is focused on fraud related to Trump misstating the value of his assets depending on the audience.
It’s widely known that Trump has greatly exaggerated his wealth, inflating the value of his properties while failing to disclose the magnitude of his debt, in an attempt to move up on the Forbes richest people list. This first started in the 1980s and the story is wild. Trump posing as “John Barron,” deploying his usual bluster to strong-arm his way to the top of the Forbes list because “Just trust me, bro.” It’s too good not to read.
But the tactics you use for the media to stroke your own ego are much more serious when applied to banks, insurance companies, and tax agencies. The NY Attorney General says that the Trump Organization investigation has uncovered significant evidence of possible fraud. She references misleading statements about a large number of Trump properties, saying the company may have inflated real estate values to obtain bank loans and reduced them to lower tax bills.
“It is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in history – and remember, I can’t get a fair hearing in New York because of the hatred of me by judges and the judiciary.”
Donald Trump
Update January 2022: NY Attorney General filed a court document noting Trump, Ivanka, and Junior moved to block their subpoenas and are using a continued pattern of delay tactics to keep her from interviewing them under oath. In response, Trump attorney Habba filed a motion seeking to stay proceedings, further proving the DA’s point.
Update February 2022: NY Attorney General filed a motion to compel Trump, Ivanka, and Junior to appear in court. Trump attorneys argue that Trump belongs to a protected class and can’t be compelled to testify. Justice Arthur Engoron rejected that argument and orders the Trumps to answer questions under oath within 21 days. He goes on to state that the Trumps could refuse to answer questions, as Eric Trump did in 2020 where he invoked his Fifth amendment rights more than 500 times.
Update April 2022: Donald Trump held in civil contempt of court for failing to comply with document subpoenas from the NY Attorney General. Judge Arthur Engoron fines Trump $10,000 per day until he complies. Trump and failing to turn over documents, name a better duo.
Photo by Dylan Dehnert on Unsplash