New York state’s attorney general is demanding that two of Donald Trump’s adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, testify in her civil probe into the former U.S. president’s business practices and namesake company.
Subpoenas to the Trumps from the office of Attorney General Letitia James were disclosed in a Monday filing with a New York state court in Manhattan.
Donald Trump has also been subpoenaed to testify under oath, and the Trump family plans to ask a judge who has overseen disputes related to the probe to block James’ lawyers from obtaining their testimony, according to the filing.
James’ subpoenas reflect an escalation of her nearly three-year probe into whether the Trump Organization fraudulently inflated the values of its real estate holdings to obtain bank loans, and reduced their values to lower its tax bills.
Alina Habba, a lawyer for Donald Trump, in an emailed statement, accused James, a Democrat, of having “weaponized her office” through a “political witch hunt” that violates the former Republican president’s constitutional rights.
“Her actions are a threat to our democracy and I plan to hold her accountable to the fullest extent,” Habba said in response to a request for comment from the Trump Organization.
Lawyers for Trump’s children did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Eric Trump, another adult son of Donald Trump, was questioned by James’ office in October 2020.
Donald Trump turned over the Trump Organization to his adult sons and the company’s longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, when he became president in 2017.
Ivanka Trump, had also worked for the Trump Organization, before serving in the White House as a senior adviser.
James’ probe has focused on properties including the Seven Springs Estate in Westchester County, New York, a downtown Manhattan office building, the Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles, and the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago.
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