Judge Dismisses Trump’s Suit Against NY Probe, While Georgia Investigation Intensifies

President Trump’s courthouse troubles show no signs of easing up following adverse developments for him Friday in two legal probes, one in New York and the other in Georgia.In New York, a federal judge dismissed Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James, rejecting the former president’s claim that she targeted him out of political animus and allowing her civil investigation into his business practices to continue.Meanwhile Georgia’s secretary of state is expected next week to appear before a special grand jury at Atlanta in an investigation into whether the former president illegally tried to meddle in the 2020 election in the state.In the New York case, District Judge Brenda Sannes wrote that case law bars federal judges from interfering in state-level investigations, with limited exceptions, and that there wasn’t evidence to support Mr. Trump’s contention that Ms. James, a Democrat, was proceeding in bad faith because of their differing political views.Judge Sannes, who was appointed in 2014 by President Obama, said Ms. James had a legitimate basis for investigating Mr. Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, and that Mr. Trump failed to show that recent court proceedings seeking to enforce subpoenas on him were “commenced for the purpose of retaliation.”Ms. James’ public statements about Trump “make clear that she disagrees vehemently with Mr. Trump’s political views,” Judge Sannes wrote, but Mr. Trump and his lawyers failed to demonstrate any connection between her opinions and how the investigation has played out.Ms. James heralded Friday’s ruling as a “big victory” over a “frivolous” lawsuit. Judge Sannes’ decision came a day after a New York appeals court ruled that Mr. Trump must answer questions under oath in James’ probe, upholding a lower-court ruling requiring him to sit for a deposition.Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, questioned Sannes’ justification for dismissing the lawsuit and said they would take the matter to the riders of the Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals.Mr. Trump has long contended that the New York investigations are part of a politically motivated “witch hunt.” In the lawsuit, his lawyers alleged that Ms. James had violated his constitutional rights.The lawsuit described Ms. James as having “personal disdain” for Mr. Trump, pointing to numerous statements she’s made about him, including her boast that her office sued his administration 76 times and tweets during her 2018 campaign that she had her “eyes on Trump Tower” and that Mr. Trump was “running out of time.”In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has been summoned to appear before the special grand jury Thursday, according to a subpoena obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. Five other people in his office have received subpoenas to appear in early June and the office has received a subpoena for documents. State Attorney General Chris Carr has received a subpoena to appear June 21.Mr. Trump had directed his ire at Mr. Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, after the secretary of state refused to bend to pressure to overturn President Biden’s narrow election victory in Georgia. On Tuesday, Mr. Raffensperger won the Republican primary in his quest for reelection, defeating a Trump-endorsed challenger.Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the investigation soon after she took office in January 2021. She made clear when she requested a special grand jury earlier this year that one purpose for doing so would be to issue subpoenas to people who might not cooperate otherwise.The 23 members of the special grand jury and three alternates were selected May 2 but a Fulton County superior court judge, Robert McBurney, who is overseeing the panel, said the grand jurors wouldn’t begin meeting until June.Ms. Willis has confirmed that her investigation includes looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Mr. Trump pushed Mr. Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win the state.Among the documents the grand jury has asked for is anything that “memorializes the events” surrounding that call, anything that “explains the conduct” of the president during that call, and any logs of telephone calls between anyone in Mr. Raffensperger’s office and Mr. Trump or his representatives.Mr. Trump has said his call with Mr. Raffensperger was “perfect” and said he did nothing wrong. It’s not clear exactly what charges Ms. Willis could choose to pursue against Mr. Trump or anyone else. In a letter she sent to top-ranking state officials last year, she said she was looking into “potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local government bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration.”

Judge Dismisses Trump’s Suit Against NY Probe, While Georgia Investigation Intensifies

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