A long list of investigations and lawsuits involving Donald Trump
By Dan Berman
Whether it’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, handling of sensitive White House documents or the finances of his namesake business, the volume of investigations involving former President Donald Trump is staggering.
Trump is being sued by lawmakers and police officers, his niece Mary Trump, magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, whose rape accusation he denies, and his former attorney Michael Cohen who’s already served jail time. The New York state attorney general and Manhattan district attorney are looking at his company. And several congressional committees still want to see his tax returns.
Here are some notable investigations and lawsuits:
January 6: House select committee investigation
The panel made up of Democrats and two Republicans — Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger — is looking into everything leading up to, and involving, the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters that interrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s election win.
The committee has issued at least 80 subpoenas requesting testimony or phone records from close Trump advisers, including Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, “Stop the Steal” rally organizers and former White House staffers.
Of special interest, according to CNN reporting, are Trump’s activities on January 6 and the efforts to use the levers of government to overturn the election.
The committee also has records related to January 6 from the Trump White House, after the Supreme Court rejected the former President’s attempt to block the transfer from the National Archives.
Public hearings are expected this spring and a report should be issued later this year. It’s also possible the committee will make formal recommendations to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.
January 6: Lawsuits by Democratic lawmakers and police officers
Several Democratic congressmen have accused Trump and Giuliani of conspiring with far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to incite the attacks. Separately, California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell sued Trump, Giuliani, Donald Trump Jr. and GOP Rep. Mo Brooks, claiming their speeches on January 6, 2021, incited the riot.
Several members of the US Capitol Police and Washington, DC Metropolitan Police are also suing the former President, saying Trump’s words and actions incited the riot. Various cases accuse Trump of directing assault and battery; aiding and abetting assault and battery; and violating local Washington, DC, laws that prohibit incitement of riots and disorderly conduct.
Trump and his top advisers have not been charged with any crimes. Trump and others who are sued have argued they are not responsible for the actions of the people who stormed the Capitol.
White House documents: Moved to Mar-a-Lago? Classified? Flushed?
The National Archives, charged with collecting and sorting presidential material, says at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — including records that may have been classified.
It’s been widely reported that Trump would also rip up documents in the White House, but The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman has reported that that some may have been flushed down toilets. (Trump has denied this.)
Any unauthorized retention or destruction of White House documents raises a red flag under a criminal law that prohibits the removal or destruction of official government records, legal experts tell CNN.
The Justice Department has not decided whether to formally launch an investigation, sources briefed on the matter say.
2020 Election: Efforts to overturn Georgia results
Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating what Trump or his allies may have done in their efforts to overturn Biden’s victory in Georgia.
The probe was launched last year following Trump’s call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he pushed the Republican to “find” votes to overturn the election results.
“This is a criminal investigation. We’re not here playing a game,” Willis told CNN’s Sara Murray in a recent interview. “I plan to use the power of the law. We are all citizens.”
Willis, who plans to convene a grand jury in May, has also been the target of racist threats and has asked the FBI for security assistance.
2020 Election: Fake electors in Michigan
The Justice Department is looking at one aspect of a plot to put forward fake electors from seven states after a referral from the Michigan state attorney general.
Fake certificates were created by Trump allies in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Mexico, who sought to replace valid presidential electors from their states with a pro-Trump slate.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said forgeries of public records and election records could bring nearly 20 years in jail, according to state law. While nobody has been charged with a crime, Nessel said she has referred her investigation into the effort in Michigan to the US Justice Department.
One fake elector from Michigan boasted at a recent event hosted by a local Republican organization that the Trump campaign directed the entire operation.
“We fought to seat the electors. The Trump campaign asked us to do that,” Meshawn Maddock, co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, said at a public event last week that was organized by the conservative group Stand Up Michigan, according to a recording obtained by CNN.
Trump Organization: NY AG criminal and civil investigation
Since 2019, New York Attorney General Letitia James has been investigating Trump’s namesake business, and recently detailed what her office believes are “misleading or fraudulent” financial statements.
James says her office has uncovered “significant” evidence “indicating that the Trump Organization used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain a host of economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions.”
Trump has denied wrongdoing and has repeatedly said James’ investigation is politically motivated.
Trump Organization: NY DA criminal investigation
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg inherited that office’s probe into Trump’s businesses and is moving quickly.
The investigation, which has been underway for several years, appears to be coming to a head with prosecutors focusing on the accuracy of the Trump Organization’s financial statements when seeking financing, people familiar with the matter have told CNN.
Personal finances: Litigation with niece Mary Trump
Trump and his niece Mary are in court over her cut of a 2001 family settlement.
In 2020, Mary Trump sued Trump, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired judge, and the executor of her late uncle Robert Trump’s estate, alleging “they designed and carried out a complex scheme to siphon funds away from her interests, conceal their grift, and deceive her about the true value of what she had inherited.”
Meanwhile, the former President is suing his niece and The New York Times in New York state court over the disclosure of his tax information.
Defamation: Suit over denial of rape claims by E. Jean Carroll
Magazine writer E. Jean Carroll alleged Trump raped her in a New York department store dressing room in the mid 1990s and defamed her when he denied the rape, said she was not his type and alleged she made the claim to boost sales of her book.
A federal appeals court is reviewing whether the lawsuit can proceed. Trump and the Justice Department said Trump was a federal employee and his statements denying Carroll’s allegations were made in response to reporters’ questions while he was at the White House. They argued the Justice Department should be substituted as the defendant, which, because the government cannot be sued for defamation, would end the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, another federal judge is set to hold a hearing Thursday on Trump’s counter-lawsuit against Carroll.
Michael Cohen: Claims of retaliation against Trump and Barr
Trumps’ former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is suing Trump, former Attorney General William Barr and others, alleging they put him back in jail to prevent him from promoting his upcoming book while under home confinement.
Cohen was serving the remainder of his sentence for lying to Congress and campaign violations at home, due to Covid-19 concerns, when he started a social media campaign in summer 2020, Courthouse News reported.
In retaliation, Cohen says he was sent back to prison and spent 16 days in solitary until a federal judge intervened.
An initial conference in the lawsuit is scheduled for early March.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Kara Scannell, Sara Murray, Marshall Cohen and Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.
