Donald Trump sues NY attorney to block inquiry into his businesses

Donald Trump has sued New York state Attorney General Letitia James, seeking to block her from continuing to investigate his business.

The former US president argues she has violated his constitutional rights by pursuing a politically-motivated probe.

Ms James says the investigation "will continue undeterred".

She opened a civil inquiry in 2019 into claims that - before he took office - Mr Trump had inflated the value of his assets to banks when seeking loans.

The lawsuit comes less that two weeks after Ms James indicated that Mr Trump could be questioned under oath next month as part of the inquiry.

Mr Trump is also suspected of understating his assets to lower his taxes.

Ms James' office has been seeking documents on four Trump Organization properties in Manhattan, upstate New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

In May, Ms James, a Democrat, told the BBC that her team had "informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the Organization is no longer purely civil in nature".

The former president, who is a Republican, has described the inquiry as a witch hunt.

Throughout his presidency in 2017-21, Mr Trump resolutely refused to reveal his tax returns, despite coming under great pressure to do so.

Civil cases usually have to do with injury to individuals or other private parties, including businesses; criminal law applies in cases where the damage is thought to affect society at large, including the state.