His Tax Documents Had Been Revealed To The Public, Donald Trump Sues His Niece And Journalists

Donald Trump. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - Former U.S. President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit in New York state court Tuesday against his niece Mary Trump, as well as several New York Times reporters, over the disclosure of his tax information published in the media articles.

Trump's lawsuit, called no less than USD 100 million, alleges that the disclosure of Mary Trump's tax information to the Times was an illegal breach of contract, among other things, claims, because the disclosure allegedly violated the 2001 settlement agreement between the Trump family.

The former president's lawsuit also accuses Times journalists of "interfering" with the settlement agreement, among other claims, in how they relentlessly searched for Mary Trump and knowingly pursued her violation of the Settlement Agreement. Susanne Craig of the Times, David Barstow, and Russ Buettner were named as defendants.

"The actions of Mary Trump and The Times Defendants were motivated, at least in part, by their true hatred of the plaintiffs," the lawsuit reads.

In his lawsuit, Donald Trump claims Times journalists "unfairly reap significant personal, professional and/or business benefits, including, but not limited to, monetary gain, fame, praise, fame, increased market valuation, increased earnings, and/or career advancement."

The lawsuit, filed in Duchess County, was first reported by The Daily Beast. Mary Trump also spoke about the lawsuit made by her uncle.

"I think he's a loser and he's going to throw anything at the wall he can. It's despair. The wall is closing in and he's throwing anything at the wall he thinks it's going to stick. As always happens with Donald, he's going to try and change the subject, " said Mary.

Meanwhile, in a statement, a Times spokesperson said, "Donald Trump's tax coverage helps inform citizens, through careful reporting, on a subject that overrides the public interest. This lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to defend ourselves vigorously. "

To note, the three journalists won the Pulitzer Prize, for their 18-month investigation into Trump's finances that "denies his claims to self-made wealth and reveals a business empire rife with tax evasion," according to the journalism awards website.

At the time, Donald Trump dismissed the report as "very old, boring, and over-told," though he did not directly dispute its findings. Trump's attorney Charles Harder at the time said, "The New York Times allegations of fraud and tax evasion are 100 percent false, and deeply defamatory," according to the paper.

Mary Trump is the daughter of the former president's older brother, Fred Trump Jr. He publicly opposed his uncle, including writing the book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" in 2020 which painted an unattractive portrait of the Trump family and their financial affairs.

Mary Trump also revealed in her book telling it all, she was the source of the Times story about Donald Trump's tax returns.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump's younger brother, Robert Trump, has led efforts to try and block the release of their nephew's book, claiming it would violate the terms of the secret agreement the family reached in court proceedings following the death of family patriarch Fred Trump.