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Donald Trump in New York City (archive image)
Photo: DOMINICK REUTER / AFP
Initially, it was about alleged hush money payments to two women with whom Donald Trump is said to have had relationships.
In the meantime, however, the investigation into the former President of the United States has been massively expanded.
As the New York Public Prosecutor's Office has now announced, the investigations have reached a new level: Now criminal investigations are being carried out on the business conduct in the Trump group.
"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation is no longer just civil," said the spokesman for Letitia James, attorney general for New York state.
One investigates criminal in cooperation with the prosecutor in the New York borough of Manhattan.
The local prosecutor, Cyrus Vance, investigated, among other things, because of the alleged hush money payments that Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is said to have paid the porn star Stormy Daniels and the former playmate Karen McDougal.
Both women claim to have had affairs with Trump.
This denies.
Meanwhile, however, Vance's investigation goes beyond the Daniels and McDougal cases.
Letitia James started an investigation after Cohen testified before the US Congress that the value of some assets had been increased in Trump's financial statements to save money on loans and insurance.
In addition, other assets were reported too low to reduce real estate taxes.
In this context, the authorities are examining four properties, including one in the center of Manhattan.
According to James, Eric Trump, son of the ex-president, is closely involved in one or more transactions as executive vice president of the Trump Organization holding company.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in liability
There was constant speculation about Trump's ventures during the four years of his presidency.
According to calculations by Forbes journalist Dan Alexander, the Trump empire is at least one billion dollars in debt.
The "New York Times" has reconstructed on the basis of several tax returns that Trump is personally liable for over 400 million dollars.
The company is therefore not necessarily over-indebted.
In view of Trump's earlier bankruptcy, interested parties should not queue for refinancing.
jok / Reuters
