ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — Former President Donald Trump is suing New York Attorney General Tish James, claiming she is violating his civil rights because she views him as a political opponent. The suit accuses her of “…a thinly-veiled effort to publicly malign…” the former president and his associates.
James has been investigating whether the Trump organization committed fraud when it reported the value of certain properties to banks and tax authorities.
The former president wants a permanent injunction barring James from investigating him and from being involved in any criminal or civil investigations of him. That’s important because Donald Trump’s business dealings are also being investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and James has been helping with that investigation.
When she ran for office, James campaigned on a pledge to hold Trump and his administration accountable. The Trump suit charges James with a “… personal disdain…” for the former president and includes derogatory comments she’s made about him over the years.
Attorney Ryan McCall with Tully Rinckey Law Firm talked about the Trump strategy: “I think a lot of it is that he would like her to back off from the investigation, but there are some interesting allegations that do talk about her using the Trump platform to bolster her own political status. But that’s relatively common in American politics…”, he said.
For that reason, McCall says he’s not sure how successful the former president’s suit will be.
Both sides issued statements after the suit was filed, with James saying, “Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump”, and Donald Trump responding: “You are nothing but a corrupt official doing the dirty work of your party.”
