Now that New York Attorney General Letitia James has made it clear that she has significant evidence that implicates former president Donald Trump, his three eldest children (Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric), and the Trump Organization in systematic fraud, it now appears there’s only one way the siblings can avoid serious legal consequences: By flipping on their father.
That’s the professional legal opinion of MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin, who was asked by host Alex Witt:
“How about this scenario, Lisa. Let’s say Donald Trump wanted to fight it, could his kids take a different path? Could they settle on their own?”
Rubin responded:
“They certainly could. But some of the same patterns that we see with the children are all mixed up in misrepresentations by the former president.
“So for example, Alex, there are statements of financial conditions that are certified by the former president, and one of the children might attach that statement of financial condition to an application for a loan. It’s hard to see how certain of the adult children at least could accept responsibility and settle with Tish James without implicating their father.”
Considering what James revealed this week with her filing, it would certainly be in the best long-term interest of the Trump kids to settle, as Politico noted Wednesday:
- For one thing, James only has to prove Trump’s conduct was fraudulent or illegal by a preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt as would be necessary in a criminal case.
- James’ office appears to be taking the stand that whether the banks were or were not actually tricked isn’t relevant to the legal case — that the alleged intent to deceive on the part of Trump, his children and top aides in order to get a financial benefit is sufficient to constitute a violation of the law.
Featured Image: NBC News
