Trump Organization under criminal investigation

NEW YORK CITY (NBC) – The New York attorney general’s office said it is pursuing a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization in addition to the ongoing civil probe.

It’s new legal pressure on former President Donald Trump and his family as an investigation into his organization’s finances adds a criminal element.

The New York attorney general’s office informed the Trump Organization that its investigation into the company “is no longer purely civil in nature” saying in a statement.

In a statement, the office said, “We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan D.A.”

The Trump Organization was already under two investigations in New York, with the Manhattan District attorney’s criminal probe, and the attorney general’s civil one. Now the two powerful offices are working together on the criminal probe.

While a civil probe can result in lawsuits or fines, a criminal one can mean potential charges. The added muscle in his home state is bringing extra pressure on the former president.

The already sweeping criminal probe by Cyrus Vance, the New York D.A., has looked at whether the Trump Organization misled lenders and insurance companies whether it paid appropriate taxes.

The Trump Organization investigation originally stemmed from allegations made by Trump’s former fixer and attorney Michael Cohen that Trump had deliberately provided incorrect valuations of assets in official documents, NBC News has previously reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation.

The increased scrutiny comes at a time when Trump is already back in the public eye at the center of a fierce GOP debate over the January 6 Capitol riots.

The House’s top Republican, Kevin McCarthy, announced his opposition to a bipartisan commission on the Capitol attacks ahead of a vote Wednesday, even though the proposal got several key concessions Republicans wanted.

Other Republicans argue the proposed commission should also examine the involvement of Black Lives Matter and Antifa in protests last year.

Ousted party leader Liz Cheney told NBC’s Savannah Guthry last week the commission should not be watered down. She said, “I think that that kind of intense, narrow focus threatens people in my party who may have been playing a role they should not have been playing.”

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