Donald Trump Suing NY Times, Niece For No Less Than $100 Million

Former President Trump has sued his estranged niece, Mary Trump, as well as the New York Times and three of its reporters, over the coverage relating to his personal taxes.

Trump is claiming that his niece and the Times colluded to hatch an “insidious plot” meant to illegally obtain his records in order to publicly embarrass him.

Damages weren’t specified, but the lawsuit estimates that they should reach at least “One Hundred Million Dollars” at trial. Trump has long-resisted the public release of his tax returns; just last month his attorneys asked a federal judge to block Congress from obtaining them.

Mary Trump, who has been an outspoken critic of her uncle for years, is being accused of “smuggling” the records out of her attorney’s office and hand delivering them to the Times. The three Times reporters who are being sued -- David Barstow, Susanne Craig, and Russ Buettner -- collectively won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for their “investigation.”

A New York Times spokesperson gave this quotation regarding the suit: "The Times's coverage of Donald Trump's taxes helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest. This lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it."