“(I)n recent correspondence, counsel for Mr. Trump have made clear that he is willing to appear pursuant to the subpoena and have also proposed four available dates after the Presidential election on November 3, 2020,” lawyers for the Trump Organization wrote in a court filing Thursday.
“(C)ounsel for Mr. Trump proposed multiple dates beginning shortly after the election — just two weeks later on November 19 — because of Mr. Trump’s extreme travel schedule and related unavailability between now and the election, and to avoid the use of his deposition attendance for political purposes,” the attorneys added.
The Trump Organization lawyers wrote Thursday that enforcement of the subpoena is unnecessary as Eric Trump will testify. They also wrote that he had never refused to comply with testimony but that they asked and did not receive assurances from the New York investigators that they have not and will not provide their investigative materials to any other law enforcement agency. The New York attorney general has the ability to make criminal referrals if the investigators believe a crime has been committed.
“Given all the circumstances and the fact that counsel’s requested dates are, for all practical purposes, just 30 days after other scheduled depositions, and given the importance of avoiding any appearance of politicizing the investigatory process, we respectfully submit that the proposed dates are reasonable,” the Trump Organization attorneys wrote.
The attorney general’s office has been investigating President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization since 2019, when Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump’s annual financial statements inflated the value of his assets in order to secure favorable loans and insurance coverage, but deflated the value of other assets in order to reduce real estate taxes.
James’ office also seeks a judge to compel testimony from other witnesses and documents.
Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, testified over two days in July. Trump’s longtime tax attorney Sheri Dillon was also deposed but the state says she declined to answer certain questions.
Several Trump Organization properties’ financial dealings are being scrutinized as part of the investigation, including Seven Springs Estate in Westchester County, New York; 40 Wall Street, a building in Lower Manhattan; Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago; and Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Sonia Moghe contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork