The judge dismisses Donald Trump’s lawsuit and allows the investigation to continue in New York

A federal judge has dismissed former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit aimed at blocking a civil investigation into his business practices in New York.

US District Judge Brenda Sannes’ ruling on Friday means New York Attorney General Letitia James’ three-year investigation can continue.

In her 43-page ruling, Sannes said she came to her decision based on case law, which in most cases prohibits federal judges from interfering in state-level investigations.

Trump sued James in December after she issued a subpoena for him to testify. The ex-president’s lawyers claimed James’s investigation was politically motivated because she is “an outspoken political activist and a member of the Democratic Party”. They claimed the investigation violated his constitutional rights in a “thinly veiled attempt to publicly defame Trump and his associates.”

James tweeted on Friday that the judge’s decision was “a huge win.”

“A federal court has dismissed Donald Trump’s baseless lawsuit to stop my office’s investigation into his financial dealings and those of the Trump Organization,” she wrote.

“Careless lawsuits will not prevent us from completing our lawful, legitimate investigations.”

Sannes’ decision comes a day after Trump lost an appeal and, in turn, has to answer questions under oath in James’ investigation. A New York City appeals court on Thursday upheld a Manhattan judge’s decision to enforce subpoenas for Trump and his two eldest children to testify in James’ investigation.

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