The Daily Fuckup

New York’s civil investigation into Donald Trump’s finances was still active on July 19, 2022, but the key procedural move had already been made four days earlier. On July 15, the attorney general’s office agreed to postpone depositions of Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump after the death of Ivana Trump, saying the testimony would be rescheduled as soon as possible.

That delay did not end the inquiry. The office had already spent months pressing for sworn testimony and documents as part of its review of the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. In January, Attorney General Letitia James said her office had gathered significant additional evidence indicating that the Trump Organization used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions. The filing also said the office had not yet reached a final decision on whether the evidence warranted legal action.

The office kept that pressure on in April, when it moved to force Cushman & Wakefield to comply with subpoenas tied to appraisal work for Trump properties, including Seven Springs Estate, Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles and 40 Wall Street. That filing was part of the same broader investigation into how Trump-related assets were valued and presented to lenders and other counterparties.

By July 19, then, the story was not a new enforcement step. It was an ongoing civil probe that had already produced subpoenas, motions and testimony fights, with the next round of depositions pushed back temporarily after a family death. The attorney general’s office said the delay was temporary and that the depositions would be rescheduled, keeping the investigation on track while the evidence-gathering continued.