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New York’s attorney general is scrutinizing an 11.5-acre conservation easement at Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles as part of an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s company inflated the value of some assets to receive loans and insurance.
A motion filed last week with the New York Supreme Court, and made public Monday, seeks to compel the Trump Organization and the president’s son, Eric, to comply with seven subpoenas that Attorney General Letitia James said would yield thousands of documents and testimony from multiple witnesses regarding several properties and transactions.
“Nothing will stop us from following the facts and the law, wherever they may lead,” James said in a statement. “For months, the Trump Organization has made baseless claims in an effort to shield evidence from a lawful investigation into its financial dealings. They have stalled, withheld documents, and instructed witnesses, including Eric Trump, to refuse to answer questions under oath.”
Timing called into question
Alan Garten, executive vice president and general counsel for the Trump Organization, said in an email to the Southern California News Group that James’ public release of the motion — hours before the start of the Republican National Convention — was highly suspect.
“The timing of this filing should tell you everything you need to know,” he said. “This is politically motivated targeting at its worst.”
Eric Trump, an executive vice president for the Trump Organization, offered a harsher assessment.
“Without any basis, the New York attorney general has pledged to take my father down from the moment she ran for office,” he said on Twitter. “This is the highest level of prosecutorial misconduct — purposely dropped on the eve of the Republican Convention for political points. Sad that this is her focus as New York burns.”
Without any basis, the NYAG has pledged to take my father down from the moment she ran for office. This is the highest level of prosecutorial misconduct – purposely dropped on the eve of the Republican Convention for political points. Sad that this is her focus as New York burns pic.twitter.com/5tgtS3vH3F
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) August 24, 2020
Varying land values
According to the motion, four Trump Organization transactions are under scrutiny, including a 11.5-acre easement across the driving range at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes granted in 2014 to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy.
The other transactions involve a 212-acre estate in Westchester County, New York, a mixed-use building in lower Manhattan and a hotel and residential complex in Chicago.
Donald Trump news conference at Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles to announce a conservation easement grant to the Peninsula Land Conservancy to protect 11.5 acres as open space for scenic enjoyment and public use. (1/15/14 Photo by Brad Graverson/The Daily Breeze)
The easement at Trump National protects the property from future development, prohibits it from harmful uses such as dumping, and has restrictions on waste and impermeable surfacing, among many other items.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy officials did not return emails and phone calls seeking comment on the easement being singled …read more
Source:: Los Angeles Daily News
