In the last legal blow to Donald J. Trump, a federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the former president that he intended to stop the New York Attorney General’s civil investigation into his business practices.
The sentence, in the federal court of Albany, was the second defeat of Mr. Trump related to the investigation in two days. On Thursday, an appeals court ordered Mr. Trump and two of his children to sit for questioning under the oath of the state attorney general’s office, Letitia James.
Taken together, the sentences pave the way for Ms. James will complete his research in the coming weeks or months. Although Ms. James, a Democrat seeking re-election, has no authority to file criminal charges against Mr. Trump or her family’s real estate business, she can file a lawsuit if she concludes that they committed fraud.
Last month, one of his lawyers indicated that a lawsuit could arrive soon, saying the office was preparing an “enforcement action” in the near future.
It is unclear whether Mr. Trump plans to appeal any of the sentences. His lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The courts have made it clear that Donald J. Trump’s unfounded legal challenges cannot stop our legal investigation into his financial and Trump Organization business,” Ms. James in a statement. “No one in this country can choose how the law is enforced, and Donald Trump is no exception. As we have said all along, we will continue this investigation without stopping.”
The lawyers of Mr. Trump filed the federal lawsuit in December, arguing that Ms. James to Mr. Trump, and the citations she had issued to him and his company, violated several of his constitutional rights, including those of free speech and due process. .
In Friday’s ruling, Brenda K. Sannes, a federal judge, rejected Mr. Trump’s assertion that Ms. James’ investigation was politically motivated and violated her rights.
The demand of Mr. Trump had quoted a litany of Ms. James who criticized Mr. Trump, including a 2017 tweet stating that he “led the resistance against Donald Trump in New York.”
Although Mrs. James’s public statements may reflect the political or personal spirit toward Mr. Trump, the judge said, his comments were not enough to show that the attorney general had violated Mr. Trump’s rights. Trump.
Judge Sannes also found “no evidence that the subpoena procedure was conducted in a manner that constituted harassment.”
Mr. Trump has denied all allegations and criticized Ms. James, calling her investigation a “witch hunt.”
His research focuses on his annual financial statements, which contain estimated values of his golf courses, hotels and other properties. Mrs. James is examining whether Mr. Trump and his company falsely (and fraudulently) inflated these securities to secure loans and other financial benefits.
They understand the Trump survey of the New York AG
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An empire under control. New York State Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a civil investigation into the business practices of former President Donald J. Trump. Here’s what you need to know:
The origins of the consultation. The investigation began after Michael D. Cohen, the former personal and repair attorney for Mr. Trump, testified in Congress that Mr. Trump and his employees had manipulated their net worth to suit their interests.
Mr. Trump’s lawsuit. In December, Mr. Trump sued Ms. James, seeking to stop the investigation. The lawsuit argues that the attorney general’s involvement in the investigation has political motivations.
Judgment of contempt. A judge ordered Mr. Trump to disappear in court for failing to deliver the documents to Ms. James, and ordered her to provide them and be fined $ 10,000 a day until she did. Two weeks later, the judge withdrew the court order on the condition that Mr. Trump pay the $ 110,000 fine he had accumulated during that period.
In a court filing this year, Ms. James revealed that Mr. Trump had severed ties with him and essentially retracted almost a decade of financial statements.
He also argued in a separate document that the Trump Organization had engaged in “fraudulent or misleading” practices. But his attorneys said they had to collect additional records and testimony, particularly from Mr. Trump, before they could decide whether to file a lawsuit.
Last month, a Manhattan state judge, Arthur F. Engoron, convicted Mr. Trump of contempt of court for failing to fully comply with Ms. James’ subpoena to request his personal records. (The judge recently issued a contempt order, after Mr. Trump paid a $ 110,000 fine and filed additional documents.)
Judge Engoron also ordered that Mr. Trump, as well as two of his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, were interviewed under oath by Ms. James. In its ruling Thursday, a New York state court of appeals upheld that order.
As Ms. James is stepping up his civilian investigation, Mr. Trump is also facing a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office into some of the same business practices as Ms. James is checking.
But as the criminal investigation continues, prosecutors stopped presenting evidence about Mr. Trump to a grand jury earlier this year.