Trump Sues NYT And His Niece Over Taxes Article

The Washington Post reports:

Former president Donald Trump has sued his niece, Mary L. Trump, and the New York Times over the publication of a 2018 article detailing allegations that he “participated in dubious tax schemes … including instances of outright fraud” that allowed him to receive over $413 million from his father, Fred Trump Sr., while significantly reducing taxes.

The suit, filed in a Dutchess County, N.Y., court on Tuesday, alleges that Mary Trump, the New York Times and at least three of its reporters “engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records” about the former president’s finances. According to the lawsuit, Donald Trump suffered at least $100 million in damages as a result of the alleged actions.

The New York Times and the three reporters named in the suit — David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner — won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting for their 18-month investigation that culminated in the article.

Axios reports:

The suit, filed in New York’s Dutchess County, alleges NYT journalists “engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records” and that they “convinced” Mary Trump to “smuggle records out of her attorney’s office and turn them over to The Times.”

Trump challenged the release of a book by Mary Trump on him last year, telling Axios’ Jonathan Swan she was “not allowed” to write it due to a non-disclosure agreement she signed. A judge ruled publisher Simon & Schuster did not seem bound by this.

Trump alleges in his suit against the NYT and his niece that she “committed a material breach of the Settlement Agreement by disclosing, assisting and/or providing confidential information to The Times.”

The Associated Press reports:

In a statement to NBC News, Mary Trump said of her uncle, “I think he is a loser, and he is going to throw anything against the wall he can. It’s desperation. The walls are closing in and he is throwing anything against the wall that he thinks will stick. As is always the case with Donald, he’ll try and change the subject.”

The Times’ coverage of Trump’s taxes, she said, “helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest.” One of the Times reporters, Craig, responded in a tweet: “I knocked on Mary Trump’s door. She opened it. I think they call that journalism.” Trump is seeking $100 million in damages.

Former President Donald Trump sues his estranged niece, Mary Trump, and The New York Times over a bombshell 2018 story about his family’s wealth and tax practices that was partly based on confidential documents she provided to the newspaper’s reporters. https://t.co/7PXtE19oYw

— The Associated Press (@AP) September 22, 2021