Trump Children Subpoenaed By NY AG As 7 Springs Probe Continues

BEDFORD, NY — The New York Attorney General’s Office confirmed to the AP on Monday that it has subpoenaed former President Donald Trump and his two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., in connection to an ongoing investigation.

Attorney General Letitia James’ office said in a court filing that it recently issued subpoenas seeking testimony and documents from the oldest Trump children as part of a long-running probe involving matters including “the valuation of properties owned or controlled” by Trump and his company, according to the wire service.

In March 2021, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance issued a fresh round of subpoenas related to his office's investigation of Trump's failed Seven Springs development in Northern Westchester County.

The new orders sought to preserve recordings of local government meetings at which the Trump Organization's development plans for the 213-acre site were addressed. At issue is documentation of the possibility that the value of the failed project had been misrepresented by Trump officials at various stages of seeking municipal approvals over the prior seven years.

Local jurisdiction over the failed Seven Springs development is shared by three Westchester County towns.

Earlier subpoenas from January of last year also concerned the claimed value of the estate, which was purchased for $7.5 million in 1995. The Trump Organization reportedly represented the value of the property at nearly $300 million in 2012.

The prior subpoenas focused around dates in 2012 and 2013 when the Trump Organization was still trying to develop the property into a luxury gated-community. Vance's office previously requested records from the towns of Bedford, New Castle and North Castle. In May 2013, the Bedford Planning Board granted tentative approval for the project which was later abandoned by the company.

Last month, it was reported that James’ office had requested Trump, himself, sit for a deposition.

Lawyers for the Trumps filed court papers almost immediately hoping to block the subpoenas. The Trump attorneys categorized the latest subpoenas as “an unprecedented and unconstitutional maneuver” and accused James of attempting to obtain testimony that could then be used against the Trumps in the parallel criminal investigation being overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

For more than two years, James has been investigating the Trump Organization and looking for a pattern of intentionally misleading banks or tax officials about the value of assets. At the heart of the probe are accusations of inflating assets to gain favorable loan terms or intentionally undervaluing them to reap tax savings.

The inflation of assets for financial benefit can, in some cases, be a criminal act in New York State.

“Despite their names, they must play by the same rules as everyone else. These delay tactics will not stop us from following the facts or the law, which is why we will be asking the court to compel Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump to testify with our office under oath,” James said in a statement after the move to block the subpoenas.

SEE ALSO:

• Manhattan DA Want Records On Trump's Seven Springs Estate
• DA Reportedly Issues New Subpoenas in Trump Seven Spings Probe
• Latest Trump Proposal for Seven Springs Gets Conceptual OK