(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- The Washington Post reported last week that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has convened yet another grand jury to hear evidence about the Trump Organization’s financial practices. This time, prosecutors are investigating how the former president’s company valued its assets, including Trump’s possible role in setting the initiation fees charged to new members of his golf courses.
As a sign of the course’s financial health, Trump often cited his clubs’ membership fees in statements he sent to potential lenders.
Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance and New York Attorney General Letitia James are working closely together on this investigation. Convening a grand jury does not signal that any Trump entities or executives will be charged with a crime. This grand jury may end its term without indicting anyone.
Despite the endless investigations, former President Trump has not been charged with any crime. Over the course of these never-ending inquiries, both Trump and members of his family have argued that Vance and James are motivated, not by the law, but by politics.
Vance and James have both previously said that they were examining allegations that the Trump Organization misled banks, insurance firms, or tax authorities by manipulating the value of its assets to get favorable loan rates or to lower his taxes.
In a court filing last year, Letitia James said that her office was investigating valuations of three of Trump’s properties – his Los Angeles golf course, a Manhattan office building, and an estate in suburban New York called Seven Springs.
Vance’s office, which is convening the new grand jury, has given far less detail about its investigation of valuations at Trump properties.
Vance’s investigation is aimed at criminal charges, while James’s civil probe could end in a lawsuit. But James’s office has also played a role in Vance’s criminal investigation, sharing information and attorneys.
Much of the investigations into Trump’s financial practices were prompted by Michael Cohen’s 2019 testimony before the House, for which he was later convicted of lying to Congress. During his testimony, Cohen accused Trump of manipulating the valuations of his properties.
