Ex-US Prez Trump files plea in court to stop subpoenas issued against him & his children

On Monday, the lawyers of former US President Donald Trump filed a plea in court in an attempt to stop the subpoenas that were issued by the New York Attorney General's office in connection with an investigation into the family's business practices. Trump's lawyers termed subpoenas issued against Trump and his children - Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr.- as "unprecedented and unconstitutional," the Associated Press (AP) reported. In a court filing, Attorney General Letitia James' office claimed it has issued subpoenas to the Trumps for testimony and records as part of a years-long civil investigation into the matter. The matter involves issues such as the value of properties owned or controlled by Trump and his corporation.

Investigators publicly stated for the first time on Monday that they were also seeking information from Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr, both strong allies of their father who have worked as executives at the company - Trump Organization. It was reported last month that James' office had asked Trump to appear for a deposition. Trumps' lawyers also accused James of trying to get testimony that may be used against the Trumps in a separate criminal inquiry led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

According to Trumps' lawyers, James was allegedly attempting to bypass the grand jury process and invalidate Trumps' rights by compelling them to appear without the immunity that is promised under state law if they are subpoenaed to testify in front of a grand jury in the criminal investigation.

"Despite their names, they must play by the same rules as everyone else. These delay tactics will not stop us from following the facts or the law, which is why we will be asking the court to compel Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump to testify with our office under oath," James said in a statement following the Trumps' bid to dismiss the subpoenas, as per AP. The debate over the subpoenas had been going on behind closed doors until January 3, when a judge who had previously handled other subpoenas related to the Trump investigation agreed to hear arguments over the new ones.

Trump referred to James' investigation as a "witch hunt"

It should be mentioned here that last month, Trump filed a lawsuit against James in federal court, attempting to put an end to her probe. In his lawsuit, the former US President alleged that the attorney general had violated his constitutional rights in an attempt to publicly defame Trump and his allies. Trump had also referred to James' investigation as a "witch hunt" that is being conducted in tandem with a criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Despite the fact that James' civil inquiry is independent of the criminal probe, her office has been active in both, sending a team of lawyers to work alongside prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

(With inputs from AP)