Former president Donald Trump has sued his niece, Mary L. Trump, and The New York Times over the publication of a 2018 article detailing allegations that he “participated in dubious tax schemes … including instances of outright fraud” that allowed him to receive more than $413 million from his father, Fred Trump Sr., while significantly reducing taxes. (WaPo)
The lawsuit alleges that the newspaper convinced Mary Trump to “smuggle records out of her attorney’s office and turn them over to the Times” despite her having signed a confidentiality agreement in 2001 after settling a contentious legal battle over the will of Frederick Trump, Donald’s father and Mary’s grandfather. (The Daily Beast)
In 2019, three Times reporters—David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner—were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting for that article and others about Donald Trump’s taxes. In announcing the award, the Pulitzer judges called the work “an exhaustive 18-month investigation” that “revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges.” (NYT)