New York attorney general joins Manhattan district attorney in Trump Organization criminal probe

The New York attorney general’s office says it is joining the Manhattan district attorney’s office in its criminal investigation into former President Trump and his company, the Trump Organization.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has been conducting a criminal investigation for two years. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James' investigation until Tuesday, when her office announced the move, had been a civil investigation.

Vance and James are Democrats.

"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil in nature," said the attorney general’s office, according to the Associated Press. 

James' office offered no explanation for what prompted the change, reported first by CNN.

A Vance spokesperson has also declined comment. A message seeking comment was left with a lawyer for Trump and spokespeople for the former president and his company, the Associated Press also reports. 

Trump has decried the investigations as part of a Democratic "witch hunt."

James' civil investigation and Vance’s criminal probe had overlapped in some areas, including examining whether Trump or his businesses manipulated the value of assets to gain favorable loan terms and tax benefits.

Vance's investigation also included a look at hush-money payments paid to women on Trump’s behalf and tax write-offs the Trump Organization claimed on millions of dollars in consulting fees, the wire service also reports.