The Trump legal team has responded to the New York Attorney General office's announcement of suing former President Donald Trump, the Trump Organization, and Trump's adult children — Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric — for at least $250 million in penalties, amid accusations of widespread fraud involving false financial statements related to the company.
In a Wednesday statement provided to Newsmax, Trump attorney Alina Habba says:
"Today's filing is neither focused on the facts nor the law – rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General's political agenda. It is abundantly clear that the Attorney General's Office has exceeded its statutory authority by prying into transactions where absolutely no wrongdoing has taken place."
Habba added: "We are confident that our judicial system will not stand for this unchecked abuse of authority, and we look forward to defending our client against each and every one of the Attorney General's meritless claims."
During her Wednesday press conference, New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who's up for reelection in November, told reporters the fraud lawsuit represents the culmination of a "comprehensive three-year investigation" into the Trump Organization, which apparently included 65 witness accounts and the review of millions of documents.
"We're filing a lawsuit against Donald Trump for violating the law as part of his efforts to generate profits for himself, his family, and his company," said James. "The complaint demonstrates that Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself, and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us."
As Newsmax chronicled in June, Donald Trump had challenged a federal judge's decision to dismiss his lawsuit against New York AG James.
Trump also went on the attack back then on his social media app, Truth Social, saying, "I believe that racist and corrupt A.G. James is pushing businesses and wealthy people to leave N.Y. for friendly states. Not sustainable by [New York state]."
And last week, the New York Times reported the Manhattan AG's office had rejected at least one settlement offer from Donald Trump's attorneys — increasing the likelihood of a future lawsuit.