New York attorney general adds 'criminal capacity' to probe of Trump Organisation
New York Attorney General Letitia James is joining the Manhattan district attorney's office in a criminal investigation of the Trump Organisation, Ms James' office has confirmed.
The attorney general office's investigation into the Trump Organisation, which has been underway since 2019, will also continue as an ongoing civil probe, but the office recently informed Trump Organisation officials of the criminal component.
"We have informed the Trump Organisation that our investigation into the organisation is no longer purely civil in nature," Ms James' spokesman Fabien Levy told CNN.
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An investigation into the Trump Organisation started in 2019. Getty
"We are now actively investigating the Trump Organisation in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA.
"We have no additional comment."
A lawyer for the Trump Organisation declined to comment when reached by CNN.
Ms James' office is working with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's Office, whose wide-sweeping probe into the Trump Organisation has looked into whether the company misled lenders and insurance companies about the value of properties and whether it paid the appropriate taxes.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined the Manhattan district attorney's criminal investigation of the Trump Organisation AP
Mr Vance's office is examining millions of pages of documents that include Trump's tax returns.
A person familiar with the investigation said a couple of investigators with the New York attorney general's office, who are steeped in knowledge about the Trump Organisation, have joined the district attorney's team.
A different person familiar with the matter said the New York attorney general is still conducting a civil investigation.
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Donald Trump says investigations into his organisation are politically charged. AP
Former US President Donald Trump has previously called the New York attorney general's investigation politically motivated.
For the past two years, Ms James' office looked into matters including whether or not it improperly inflated assets on financial statements to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits, as well as how Trump Organisation employees were compensated.
Investigators there have deposed multiple Trump Organisation officials including Eric Trump, the former president's son, and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg.
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