Speculation swirls after NY Attorney General promises ‘major announcement’
New York Attorney General Letitia James overnight promised she will make a “major announcement” in a Wednesday morning press conference, and speculation is swirling.
James’ press conference is now scheduled for 11:30 AM.
Less than a week ago The New York Times reported her “office has rebuffed an offer from Donald J. Trump’s lawyers to settle a contentious civil investigation into the former president and his family real estate business, setting the stage for a lawsuit that would accuse Mr. Trump of fraud, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.”
James “is also considering suing at least one of Mr. Trump’s adult children, the people said. Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. have all been senior executives at Mr. Trump’s company, the Trump Organization,” the Times added.
James has been investigating what Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen alleged in sworn testimony before Congress: Trump has a history of inflating the value of his assets for insurance and other purposes, and deflating the value of his assets when filing taxes.
“It was my experience that Mr. Trump inflated his total assets when it served his purposes, such as trying to be listed amongst the wealthiest people in Forbes, and deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes,” Cohen told Congress in 2019.
Cohen Tuesday night gleefully posted a “Monopoly” stylized cartoon showing Trump being hauled away. It reads: “Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Mar-a-Lago.”
Last week, in response to the Times reporting, former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance speculated, “Perhaps James rejected the Trump Org settlement offer because it was an inadequate low-ball. Or perhaps her evidence is just that good. Either way, the stage is now set for her to file a lawsuit accusing Trump of fraud.”
Tuesday night MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin, posting on Twitter noted the Times’ reporting in response to a tweet about the announcement.
Tristan Snell, an attorney who prosecuted the Trump University case asked: “Is Trump’s week about to go from bad to catastrophically worse?”