Trump drops another lawsuit against New York attorney general

Former President Trump on Tuesday dropped a second lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) that sought to block her investigations into him and his businesses.

Trump’s and James’s attorneys indicated in a one-page filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit that they agreed to end the former president’s suit.

When reached for comment, Trump attorney Alina Habba said, “This appeal was voluntarily withdrawn for strategic purposes.”

Trump had argued James was acting against him in bad faith for political reasons, but a federal district judge dismissed the matter in May, allowing the investigation to continue.

James’s investigation culminated in September with a long-awaited $250 million civil lawsuit against Trump and his three adult children over allegations of business fraud.

The suit alleges the former president’s operation for years manipulated property values for loan and tax benefits.

James then sought access to documents related to Trump’s personal trust, but the former president in November attempted to block access by filing a separate suit against her.

Trump’s attorneys voluntarily dismissed that lawsuit on Friday.

But Friday’s dismissal was made without prejudice, meaning Trump’s attorneys can refile the same claim again. Tuesday’s filing, meanwhile, was made with prejudice.

Trump has denounced James’s efforts as a witch hunt, claiming she has pursued a vendetta against him to demolish his political standing.

“I am pleased that Donald Trump has withdrawn both of his pending actions against my office. As we have shown all along, we have a legitimate legal case against him and his organization, and we cannot be bullied or dissuaded from pursuing it,” James said in a statement.