Trump slams ‘CRIMINAL investigation’ into his organization & says he’s being ‘viciously attacked, harassed & threatened’
DONALD Trump has slammed the "criminal" investigation into his organization and said he's being "viciously attacked, harassed and threatened."
The former president branded the probe "sad and dangerous" after the New York attorney general’s office confirmed the investigation is underway.
"There is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime," slammed.
The 45th president's response comes just hours after it was announced that his organization is now under an active criminal investigation as prosecutors continue to examine the former president's business dealings.
The probe is "no longer purely civil," the AG's office said in a statement to CNN.
"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the Organization is no longer purely civil in nature," spokesperson Fabien Levy .
"We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA. We have no additional comment."
In Wednesday's statement, Trump slammed that: "These investigations have also been going on for years with members and associates of the Trump Organization being viciously attacked, harassed, and threatened, in order to say anything bad about the 45th President of the United States."
Trump then concluded by taking one final swipe at James, saying: "It would be so wonderful if the effort used against President Donald J Trump... would be focused on the ever more dangerous sidewalks and streets of New York."
"If these prosecutors focused on real issues, crime would be obliterated, and New York would be great and free again," he concluded.
The AG's office statement did not specify what exactly prompted turning the probe into a criminal one, but New York Attorney General Letitia James's investigation into the organization has been ongoing since 2019.
James that her office had filed a suit to force the Trump Organization to comply with subpoenas related to the investigation into whether the former president's company inflated the value of its assets on financial statements.
The notice from James's office was sent in late April to attorneys representing the Trump Organization, reports.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office has also been investigating the former president's dealings for more than two years as well.
Vance's office has said in court filings that it was investigating "possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct" at the Trump Organization.
The district attorney appears to be targeting Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, reports.
It was reported in that the Manhattan District Attorney's office had filed a subpoena against Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School over $500,000 in fees for Weisselberg's grandchildren.
It's claimed the payments were made between 2012 and 2019 and checks were signed either by Weisselberg or Trump.
Weisselberg has not been accused or charged with any crime and Trump has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
The DA's probe began after Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen paid hush money to silence two women, including porn star Stormy Daniels, before the 2016 election about alleged sexual encounters with Trump.
Cohen started working for the Trump Organization in 2006, and in 2018 he was sentenced to three years for his involvement in assisting tax evasion and campaign finance fraud. He was released last April.
The NYAG and NYDA are investigating how the Trump Organization assessed the value of Seven Springs – a 212-acre estate located north of Manhattan.
It was purchased in 1995 and Trump's company has claimed the mansion on the grounds was used as a family retreat.
The former president had aspirations to build a golf course and luxury homes but plans never materialized.
Trump reportedly signed an agreement not to develop the property – covering 158 acres – in 2015.
An appraiser hired by Trump before the conservation agreement set the value of the property at $56.5million, according to a court filing.
The easements value was set at $21.1million which Trump reportedly claimed as an income tax deduction.
The news of a criminal probe comes as a top prosecutor in Florida said that officials in the state to New York City should he be charged with a crime there.
State Attorney Dave Aronberg told that even Florida Gov Ron DeSantis would not be able to stop the extradition.
When asked if he had been involved in conversations with prosecutors about the possibility of extraditing Trump, Aronberg said, "I can clear that up.
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"We have not had conversations with prosecutors in New York about this."
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He later added: "The governor's power to stop an extradition is really nonexistent.
"He can try to delay it, he can send it to a committee and do research about it, but his role is really ministerial, and ultimately the state of New York can go to court and get an order to extradite the former president. But DeSantis could delay matters."