Pending submitting with New York AG James fraud swimsuit

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on April 12, 2023.

Kena Betancur AFP | Getty Images

Donald Trump said he would be ousted Thursday in New York City as part of the attorney general’s $250 million civil lawsuit alleging widespread fraud by the former president and his company.

Trump announced on social media overnight that he had “just arrived in Manhattan to testify before” New York Attorney General Letitia James as part of the sweeping lawsuit.

In another post Thursday morning, Trump said he was “heading downtown” to be deposed. He accused James of leaking that the appointment was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET.

His trip marks the second time in less than two weeks that he has traveled to the Empire State to respond to court cases against him. The ex-president faces multiple criminal and civil lawsuits as he runs for the Republican presidential nomination for the third time.

Trump had previously flown to New York from his home state of Florida to turn himself in to authorities after being charged in a separate criminal case over having paid hush money before the 2016 presidential election. The former president has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in this case, which is being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump is “not only ready but eager to testify before the attorney general today,” his attorney Alina Habba told CNBC in a statement. “He remains resolute in his stance that he has nothing to hide and he looks forward to telling the Attorney General about the immense success of his multi-billion dollar company.”

James’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

James filed the civil fraud lawsuit last September against Trump, three of his adult children, the Trump Organization and others. The lawsuit alleges that Trump repeatedly overstated the values ​​of his assets in statements to banks, insurance companies and the IRS in order to obtain better credit and tax terms.

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In addition to the hefty fine, James Trump’s companies also want to ban businesses in New York. She also wants to permanently bar Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump from serving as officers of any company in the state.

Last August, before James filed the fraud lawsuit, Trump sat in James’ office for testimony and invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 400 times.

Trump’s social media posts prior to the final statement slammed James, the first black woman to hold her title, as a “racist” and “lowlife” biased against him.