Trump files lawsuit accusing New York's attorney general of trying to 'harass' him with investigations

• Trump filed a lawsuit against New York attorney general Tish James.
• The suit accuses James of trying to "harass" him with investigations.

Former President Donald Trump on Monday filed a civil lawsuit against New York Attorney General Tish James, The New York Times reported.

It was filed in federal court and accuses James of being "guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent."

James' office has been investigating whether the Trump Organization engaged in financial fraud when valuing its properties, and Trump's lawsuit comes after The Washington Post reported that James wants to depose Trump on January 7. A person familiar with the investigation told The Post that James is looking into whether rampant fraud "permeated the Trump Organization."

The attorney general's office released a statement on Monday dismissing Trump's lawsuit as "an attempted collateral attack on that investigation."

"To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions. Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump," the statement said.

Shortly after The Post reported on James' plans to seek a deposition from Trump, the attorney general announced that she was suspending her nascent campaign for New York governor.

"I have come to the conclusion that I must continue my work as attorney general," James said on Twitter. "There are a number of important investigations and cases that are underway, and I intend to finish the job. I am running for re-election to complete the work New Yorkers elected me to do."

Trump's civil suit against James mirrored some of his previous language, including when he accused the state's attorney general of "presidential harassment."

James' inquiry is separate from an ongoing criminal probe conducted by the Manhattan district attorney's office, which the attorney general's office is collaborating with.

Prosecutors from the DA's office are also interested in the Trump Organization's claims about the value of its properties and last month issued new subpoenas for records of those properties, including golf clubs, offices, and hotels.

Most of the charges stemming from the criminal investigation so far have focused on tax-related schemes.

But in recent months, the civil probe and the criminal investigation have zeroed in on whether Trump Organization officials artificially inflated or deflated the value of properties for loan and tax purposes, respectively.

The Washington Post previously reported that among other things, prosecutors are scrutinizing a Trump-owned building located at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan. Property records reviewed by The Post showed that the Trump Organization told lenders in 2012 that the building was worth $527 million, but a few months later told tax officials that it was worth just $16.7 million.

Tax experts have previously said the discrepancy could point to a ploy to pay lower property taxes.

Later on Monday, Trump released a statement on James and his lawsuit.

Trump has not been charged with any crimes and has denied wrongdoing in both the DA's investigation and James' civil inquiry.