NEW YORK, N.Y. — President-elect Donald Trump’s legal team is calling on New York Attorney General Letitia James to dismiss the ongoing $250 million civil fraud case against him, his adult sons, and the Trump Organization.
In a four-page letter sent Wednesday, Trump attorney D. John Sauer, the likely next U.S. solicitor general, framed the request as a gesture of unity following Trump’s return to the presidency. “President Trump has called for our Nation’s partisan strife to end,” the letter begins, urging James to “cure” the divisions tied to the litigation against him.
The case, filed in September 2022, alleges that Trump, his children, and his company intentionally inflated the value of assets to secure favorable financial benefits while deflating them to lower tax liabilities. The lawsuit stems from a 2019 investigation prompted by sworn congressional testimony from Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who accused the Trump Organization of engaging in widespread financial misconduct.
In his letter, Sauer pointed to recent developments in other cases against Trump, highlighting the dismissal of two federal cases and the stalled criminal prosecution in Georgia, which he characterized as part of a broader retreat by Democratic officials. “Other Democratic officials and prosecutors are abandoning their discredited lawsuits against President Trump,” Sauer wrote. “This case warrants the same treatment.”
Attorney General James has not responded publicly to the request. She has previously called the civil fraud suit a necessary action to hold Trump and his company accountable for allegedly deceiving lenders, insurers, and tax authorities.
The case is one of several legal battles Trump faces as he prepares to assume office in January.
Trump legal team presses for unity, asking New York AG to drop $250M fraud suit.