The Daily Fuckup

New York Attorney General Letitia James went to court on January 18, 2022, seeking an order that would compel Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. to sit for sworn testimony in the office’s civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances. The motion also sought to enforce subpoena demands tied to the inquiry, including documents from Donald Trump.

In its filing, the attorney general’s office said investigators had gathered additional evidence suggesting the Trump Organization used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain economic benefits such as loans, insurance coverage and tax advantages. The office argued that the three family members had direct involvement in transactions under review and were in a position to explain how the company prepared and used those valuations.

The January 18 filing did not resolve whether the evidence would ultimately support a separate enforcement action. It was a procedural push to keep the investigation moving and to force compliance with subpoenas after the office said the witnesses had not cooperated voluntarily.

The dispute over testimony was part of a broader investigation into whether the company misstated the value of its assets in ways that mattered to banks, insurers and tax authorities. At that point, the attorney general was pressing the court to let the inquiry continue on the merits and to require the Trumps to answer questions under oath.