The Daily Fuckup

By Feb. 11, 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James had not yet filed a fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump or the Trump Organization. The matter was still an open civil investigation, and the immediate fight was over subpoenas, sworn testimony and documents. The attorney general’s office had gone to court to compel Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump to appear for testimony after the three refused to comply with subpoenas. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-takes-action-force-donald-j-trump-donald-trump-jr-and))

The office said it had already gathered evidence suggesting the Trump Organization used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions. But on this date that claim was still part of the investigation’s factual basis, not a filed complaint. The office also said it had not yet made a final decision about whether the evidence justified legal action. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-takes-action-force-donald-j-trump-donald-trump-jr-and))

James’s January 18 filing said the family members were directly involved in transactions under review and that investigators had been seeking records and testimony for years. The filing also described financial statements that were submitted to lenders and insurers and alleged they contained values that were often inaccurate or misleading compared with supporting documentation. That was the state of play in mid-February: an evidence-gathering probe, a resistance campaign from Trump allies, and a court motion meant to pry loose more testimony. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-takes-action-force-donald-j-trump-donald-trump-jr-and))

The later fraud lawsuit did not come until Sept. 21, 2022. In that filing, the attorney general accused Trump, the Trump Organization and his children of years of financial fraud and sought penalties including disgorgement of $250 million. That later case changed the posture of the dispute; it did not exist yet on Feb. 11. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-sues-donald-trump-years-financial-fraud))