New York attorney general opposes Eric Trump efforts to delay subpoena until after presidential election
James launched the investigation into the Trump Organization last year after President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, during testimony to Congress the the president’s annual financial statements inflated the values of Trump’s assets to obtain favorable terms for loans and insurance coverage.
The assets that James is eyeing include Seven Springs Estate, a 212-acre property in Westchester County, New York.
Court filings note that valuations of Seven Springs were used to claim an apparent tax deduction of more than $21 million, based on the donation of a conservation easement on the property.
The Financial Times last year noted that Trump purchased Seven Springs for $7.5 million in 1996, but valued it at more than $290 million in 2012. Forbes magazine in 2014 said that the entire property was worth less than $19.5 million, citing recent property sales and local realtors and assessors.
James’ office also says it is investigating a Trump building at 40 Wall St. in Manhattan, the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago, and the Trump National Golf Club – Los Angeles.
The civil investigation by James is separate from a criminal investigation being conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
President Trump is fighting a last-ditch legal effort to block a grand jury subpoena issued as part of Vance’s probe, which seeks eight years of Trump’s income tax returns and other financial records from the president’s accountants.
Vance’s office earlier this week said in a federal appeals court filing that the subpoena is more than justified by news reports that have raised the prospect that Trump and his company misstated the values of their business properties at different times.
The filings said that if that is the case, a number of crimes, including ones related to taxes, could have been committed.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/23/trump-subpoena-court-arguments-on-new-york-investigation-.html