Trump Sues NY Attorney General Over Potential Fraud Investigation

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump filed suit Monday against New York Attorney Letitia James for investigating his businesses, federal court records show.

Trump argues in his complaint — filed in the Northern District of New York — that James violated his constitutional rights by launching a 2019 inquiry into whether the then-president had defrauded his lenders, court filings show.

"The investigations commenced by James are in no way connected to legitimate law enforcement goals, but rather, are merely a thinly-veiled effort to publicly malign Trump and his associates," the complaint contends.

"Her mission is guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent."

In a written response, James called the complaint a "collateral attack" and accused Trump of using New York courts to delay her investigations, which she pledged would continue.

"To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions," James said.

"Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump.”

Trump and James have been sparring in court filings and newspapers for years as the former president accused the attorney general of "prosecutorial misconduct" and she accused him of inflating asset values to get better deals on loans and insurance.

A Trump spokesperson Tweeted a comment from attorney Alina Habba who reiterated the charges levied by Trump and in the court filings.

"Letitia James targets Pres. [Sic] Trump with a callous disregard for the ethical and moral obligations she swore to abide," Habba said. "She has short changed the state by commencing this partisan investigation and ... has forever tarnished the sanctity of her office."

Trump, who is no longer allowed on Twitter, issued a written statement with sporadic capitalization and sweeping claims deriding James for choosing earlier this month not to run for governor.

As Trump accuses James of "politically weaponizing" her office, he faces a congressional investigation questioning his ties to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump has become "deeply unnerved" by congressional investigators quest to retrieve sensitive documents he fears might implicate him, The Guardian reported Monday.

According to the report, when Trump watches coverage of the investigation, he curses at the television.