New York Attorney General Letitia James used Ivanka Trump’s credit card bills against her in a new court filing Thursday afternoon.
James is suing former President Donald Trump for $250 million, accusing him of inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to obtain benefits such as better bank loans and reduced tax bills between 2011 and 2021. Trump maintains his innocence in the case, accusing prosecutors of targeting him for political purposes. The lawsuit is civil, not criminal, meaning that Trump will not face jail time in this case. Trump pleaded not guilty in this case as well as in the other three indictments he’s facing.
Judge Arthur Engoron ruled last month that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses and executives committed fraud and will now decide on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims during the trial.
James has sought to compel Ivanka Trump’s testimony during the trial. But her lawyers last week filed a motion requesting James’ office to quash a subpoena that forces her to testify, arguing that she should not be required to do so because she was dropped from the case earlier this year due to a statute of limitations.
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On Thursday, however, James filed a motion arguing that Ivanka Trump should still be compelled to testify in the trial, regardless of whether she was a defendant in the civil suit.
“Ms. Trump remains under the control of the Trump Organization, including through her ongoing and substantial business ties to the organization. Ms. Trump reappointed herself to a participating member of several Trump Organization entities following her departure from government,” James wrote.
Ivanka Trump only “disclaims any connection” when asked to answer for her involvement with the Trump Organization, James alleged, adding that her efforts to distance herself from her father’s business carry “no legal weight.”
“She does not seem to be averse to her involvement in the family business when it comes to owning and collecting proceeds from the OPO sale, the Trump Organization purchasing insurance for her and her companies, managing her household staff and credit card bills, renting her apartment or even paying her legal fees in this action,” she wrote.
James also disputed Ivanka Trump’s attorneys arguing she was not properly served a subpoena.
“As an initial matter, Ms. Trump tries to draw a distinction between whether the subpoena had been served on her individually or as an officer of the entities addressed beneath her name in the subpoena. All roads here lead to Rome; regardless of how the subpoenas are parsed, sufficient service was effected to compel Ms. Trump’s testimony, whether individually or as an officer or agent of the corporate entities,” James wrote.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign and Ivanka Trump’s attorney for comment via email.
During the trial, the price of Ivanka’s penthouse came under scrutiny after Donald Bender, a partner at Mazars USA and longtime accountant for Donald Trump’s businesses, testified that the valuation given for the Trump Park Avenue penthouse in Manhattan was different than a price offered to Ivanka Trump to buy it outright.
James’ lawsuit alleged the Trump Organization valued the apartment at $20.8 million, compared with the $8.5 million option price offered to Trump’s daughter.
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