New York Attorney General Letitia James announced she filed a lawsuit against former United States President Donald Trump today (Sept. 21). She shared the news via a statement on Twitter.
“Today, I filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for engaging in years of financial fraud to enrich himself, his family, and the Trump Organization. There aren’t two sets of laws for people in this nation: former presidents must be held to the same standards as everyday Americans,” James wrote.
The amount James is asking for in the lawsuit is $250 million. She alleges that Trump, along with three of his adult children, have been participating in fraudulent actions for more than a decade. She adds that the Trump Organization has been doing this solely for financial profit and asks that his corporate certificate be canceled. James’ lawsuit contains over 200-pages detailing incidents of fraud connected to Trump.
“This conduct cannot be brushed aside and dismissed as some sort of good-faith mistake,” James said at a press conference today in New York. She added, “The statements of financial condition were greatly exaggerated, grossly inflated, objectively false, and therefore fraudulent and illegal. The attorney general continued, “And as a result of that, we are seeking relief, and Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization, his family — they should all be held accountable.”
In addition to Trump, James’ lawsuit names Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump as defendants. Former CFO of the Trump Organization Allen Weisselberg is included, as well as company executive Jeff McConney. The lawsuit adds, “These acts of fraud and misrepresentation were similar in nature, were committed by upper management at the Trump Organization as part of a common endeavor for each annual statement, and were approved at the highest levels of the Trump Organization — including by Mr. Trump himself.”