Trump Organization Facing Criminal Component In Ongoing Civil Investigation

New York Attorney General Letitia James has signed on to an investigation of the Trump Organization by Manhattan’s district attorney, adding a criminal element to what had been a purely civil probe. The civil investigation will continue as well, focusing largely on Trump’s finances and allegations of tax manipulation.

"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature. We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA," James' spokesman Fabien Levy told CNN. "We have no additional comment."

Sources also told CNN that the team had brought in additional personnel familiar with Trump’s finances from the New York Attorney General’s office, which is conducting its own civil investigation.

Since the release of Trump’s tax returns following a lengthy court battle, investigators of all stripes have found themselves with mountains of documents to sift through, with millions of pages of evidence.

The Trump Organization has been under scrutiny for two years. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress in 2019 that Trump had manipulated the evaluations of his property to secure loans and avoid taxes.

Since then, officials have interrogated a number of key players in the Trump Organization, such as Eric Trump, Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg and tax attorney Sheri Dillon.

Donald Trump has maintained that the investigations into his finances are a political hit job, calling the inquiry “a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in the history of our country."

"The Supreme Court never should have let this 'fishing expedition' happen, but they did," he said after the Supreme Court ruled his tax returns could be turned over to investigators.

The Trump Organization has not publicly commented on the new criminal probe.

While investigators have maintained a tight lid on their progress, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. has said the statute of limitations is closing in. His term is also coming to a close on Dec. 31. Both factors suggest that if a legal suit is coming, it will come before the end of the year.