Judge orders tax lawyers to hand over Trump organization docs to NY AG

A judge in New York on Friday ordered a law firm serving as counsel to the Trump Organization to turn over documents related to the former president’s business to the state’s attorney general.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron said in an order that he had completed a review of documents from the firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and determined that at least some of them were not privileged and should be handed over to the attorney general’s office, which had subpoenaed the firm and the Trump Organization.

The court found that many of the communications Morgan Lewis marked as privileged were communications addressing business tasks and decisions, not exchanges soliciting or rendering
legal advice.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is investigating whether former President Trump’s company had falsified the value of certain assets in order to secure loans, tax breaks and investors.

James’s office is seeking documents related to the firm’s work on Trump Organization properties, including the Seven Springs Estate in Westchester County, N.Y.

Prosecutors have said in court documents that they are looking into whether the Trump Organization may have inflated the value of Seven Springs in order to gain a $21.1 million tax deduction in 2015.

The attorney general’s office has not yet alleged any wrongdoing and has stressed that its investigation is ongoing. The probe is one of several areas of potential criminal liability that Trump faces now that he has left office.

A spokesman for the attorney general said her office would not be commenting on the judge’s order. Neither Morgan Lewis nor the Trump Organization immediately responded to messages seeking comment.