In this file photo illustration taken on July 13, 2020, Mary Trump鈥檚 new book about U.S. President Donald Trump is on display at a book store on July 14, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough in New York City. AFP FILE PHOTO
NEW YORK 鈥� Former US president Donald Trump on Tuesday filed a $100 million lawsuit against his estranged niece and The New York Times, alleging they engaged in 鈥渁n insidious plot鈥� to obtain his tax returns for the paper鈥檚 Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of his finances.
The lawsuit, filed in Dutchess County, New York state, says that New York Times reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russ Buettner conducted 鈥渁n extensive crusade to obtain Donald J. Trump鈥檚 confidential tax records.鈥�
鈥淭he defendants engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit and utilized as a means of falsely legitimizing their publicized works,鈥� the lawsuit says, alleging they were 鈥渕otivated by a personal vendetta.鈥�
The New York Times and the three journalists won the Pulitzer in 2019 for their investigation of the Trump family鈥檚 finances, which the Pulitzer Prize Board said 鈥渄ebunked his claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges.鈥�
The newspaper鈥檚 story alleged that Trump had received more than $400 million in today鈥檚 terms from his father鈥檚 real estate empire, much of it through fraudulent tax schemes.
Mary was the daughter of the eldest Trump brother Fred Trump Jr, who died in 1981 from complications due to alcoholism.
In her no-holds-barred 2020 memoir, 鈥淭oo Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World鈥檚 Most Dangerous Man,鈥� she revealed that she was the primary source for the New York Times investigation.
听鈥楲辞蝉别谤鈥�
Trump鈥檚 27-page lawsuit asserts that the New York Times reporters 鈥渞elentlessly sought out his niece, Mary L. Trump, and convinced her to smuggle the records out of her attorney鈥檚 office and turn them over to The Times.鈥�
Times reporter Craig tweeted early Wednesday: 鈥淚 knocked on Mary Trump鈥檚 door. She opened it. I think they call that journalism.鈥�
The lawsuit alleges that, by providing information, Mary Trump was in violation of a non-disclosure agreement signed in 2001 after a settlement over the estate of Donald Trump鈥檚 father, Fred Trump Sr.
The former president is seeking $100 million in compensation and damages, as well as all the proceeds from his niece鈥檚 book.
In a statement quoted by NBC, Mary Trump called her uncle 鈥渁 loser.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 desperation. The walls are closing in and he is throwing anything against the wall that he thinks will stick,鈥� she said.
鈥淎s is always the case with Donald, he鈥檒l try and change the subject.鈥�
Trump is under investigation in New York for tax fraud and other alleged wrongdoings relating to the financial activities of his Trump Organization.
The Justice Department in August also ordered the Treasury to provide a congressional committee with six years of records that Trump has long refused to make public.
US presidents are not required by law to release details of their personal finances, but every US leader since Richard Nixon has done so.
Trump repeatedly said he would release them pending an audit but ultimately broke with the tradition.
鈥淭he Times鈥檚 coverage of Donald Trump鈥檚 taxes helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest,鈥� Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for the paper, said in a statement quoted by US media.
鈥淭his lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it.鈥�