Michael Cohen: Fraud lawsuit will ‘put an end’ to Trump Organization

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen on Wednesday predicted New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) newly announced fraud investigation into former President Trump’s business will culminate in the Trump Organization’s downfall.

“It’s going to put an end to the entire company,” Cohen said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “All in with Chris Hayes” on Wednesday evening.

“You think that?” Hayes followed up.

“I believe so,” Cohen responded.

James earlier on Wednesday announced the civil fraud suit, the culmination of a three-year investigation into the Trump family and their business practices.

The state attorney general alleges the Trump Organization at times inflated and deflated property values to misleadingly attract investors and gain tax and loan benefits, also exaggerating the former president’s net worth.

James during Wednesday’s announcement said her investigation began after Cohen testified before Congress about the Trump Organization.

“When she mentioned my name, I was obviously quite elated, to be honest, because I’m finally getting the recognition for what I’ve been sitting on the mountain tops yelling for three and a half, four years, which is that the Trump Organization is a criminal enterprise and that I got thrown under the bus by dear old Donald,” Cohen said on MSNBC.

Among James’s requests to the court are $250 million in penalties and a permanent barring of the former president and three of his adult children from serving as an officer or director in any New York-based corporation.

Cohen told Hayes he expects that figure to rise to roughly $750 million once they realize the full extent of the issues.

Trump and his two adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have blasted the investigation as a witch hunt, noting James’s past promises to pursue an investigation into the family and her upcoming reelection contest in November.

James also on Wednesday indicated she referred alleged federal law violations, including conspiracy to falsify business records and commit insurance fraud, to the IRS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.