New York
CNN
–
Former President Donald Trump withdrew a second lawsuit against the New York Attorney General’s investigation into the Trump Organization days later in an effort to triage to block access to his personal trust.
In Save a Page, attorneys for Trump and Attorney General Letitia James said they reached an agreement to dismiss the appeal with prejudice, meaning it cannot be revived in the future.
Trump appealed a federal judge’s decision in May. James was granted permission to investigate the Trump Organization as it moved forward. The judge rejected his argument that James, a Democrat, was motivated by political animosity and investigated him in bad faith.
In September, James sued Trump, his three children, and the Trump Organization, alleging they were involved in a decade-long scam that tricked lenders, insurers, and tax authorities into getting richer. James is looking for $250 million.
The Trumps have denied any wrongdoing.
“This appeal was voluntarily withdrawn for strategic purposes,” Trump’s attorney, Alina Heba, said.
“I am pleased that Donald Trump has withdrawn the two outstanding actions against my office. As we have shown all along, we have a legitimate legal claim against him and his organization, and we cannot be intimidated or deterred from pursuing it,” James said in a statement.
On Friday, Trump withdrew a lawsuit he filed in November to block the attorney general’s office from obtaining documents and records from a personal fund he set up to hold his business interests after he became president.
Also last week, Judge Donald Middlebrooks — who has been presiding over the confidence trial — sued Trump and another group of attorneys for $937,989 in a lawsuit Trump brought against Hillary Clinton, former Justice Department officials and several other officials he said conspired against him. in the 2016 campaign.
“It would not have been presented by a sane lawyer. Its purpose was political, and none of the charges in the amended complaint mention any identifiable legal action,” the judge wrote.
The appeal, which was withdrawn on Tuesday, was filed with the New York Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and has nothing to do with Middlebrooks, who sits on the court in the Southern District of Florida.
This story has been updated with additional details.
