Trump sues New York AG Letitia James to block business investigation

Former President Trump sued New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday in an attempt to stop her office's civil investigation into his business practices.

Why it matters: The lawsuit comes roughly two weeks after James requested a deposition from Trump as part of an investigation into whether the Trump Organization engaged in financial fraud by submitting false property valuations to reduce its tax burden.

• The Trump Organization also faces a similar criminal investigation from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

The big picture: Trump argues in the lawsuit that the New York attorney general's investigation, which has lasted for more than two years, is politically motivated and has violated his constitutional rights.

• Criminal charges can't be filed in civil investigations, but the Trump Organization could face a lawsuit from James' office if it finds evidence of wrongdoing.

What they're saying: "The Trump Organization has continually sought to delay our investigation into its business dealings and now Donald Trump and his namesake company have filed a lawsuit as an attempted collateral attack on that investigation," James said in a statement.

• "To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization gets 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."

Go deeper ... Kinzinger: Jan. 6 committee examining whether Trump acted criminally

Editor's note: This story has been updated with James' statement.