Donald Trump invokes the Fifth Amendment to answer questions under oath in the New York Attorney General's lengthy civil investigation into his commerce. did not. The president said in a statement Wednesday.
Mr. Trump said that just before 9:00 a.m. Letitia He arrived in a motorcade at the office of Attorney General James and more than an hour later said, "The rights and rights given to every citizen under the law." He declined to answer questions under privilege." United States Constitution.
"I once asked, 'If you are innocent, why adopt the Fifth Amendment?' Now I know the answer to that question." "Your family, your company, and everyone around you are being targeted in an unsubstantiated, politically motivated witch hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors and the fake news media," the statement said. You have no choice.”
As Trump has been vocal in defending himself in written statements and at rallies, legal experts say he The same strategy could have backfired in a deposition environment, he said, as his remarks could be used in parallel criminal investigations. pursued by the Manhattan District Attorney.
A message was left in his James office for comment.
Wednesday's events unfolded in a spate of legal action surrounding the former president - just a few days ago, FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida. , as part of an unrelated federal investigation into whether he had classified records. when he left the White House.
A civil investigation, led by State Attorney General Letitia James, found that Trump's company, the Trump Organization, misrepresented the value of valuable assets such as golf courses and skyscrapers, which lenders and taxpayers were accused of misrepresenting.
"My great company and myself are being attacked from all sides," Trump said in advance on the social media he founded. I wrote for the platform Truth Social. "Banana Republic."
In May, James' office announced that the investigation was nearing its end and that investigators had found sufficient evidence to support legal action against Trump, his company, or both. Republican depositions (a legal term for sworn testimony not taken in court) were one of the few remaining missing, according to the Attorney General's Office.
22} Trump's adult children Donald Jr. and Ivanka recently testified, two people familiar with the matter said. People were not allowed to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. It is unclear whether they invoked the Fifth Amendment during the deposition. When brother Eric Trump sat down for depositions in the same investigation in 2020, he called No. 5 more than 500 times, according to court documents.Three Trumps His testimony was originally scheduled for last month, but was postponed after the death of the former president's ex-wife, Ivana Trump, mother of Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric, on July 14.
On Friday, the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, will appear in court to seek the dismissal of tax evasion charges filed last year in the Manhattan District Attorney's parallel criminal investigation. is. In James' office. Weisselberg and company have pleaded not guilty.
Democrat James said Trump firms "used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to sell loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions."
James said , pointing to annual financial statements given to banks and financial journals to secure favorable loan terms, exaggerating the value of assets held by the Trump Organization to lenders. They allege that they misrepresented the value of the land in order to impress or reduce their tax burden. Justifying Trump's status among the world's billionaires.
The company exaggerated the size of Trump's Manhattan penthouse, making it nearly three times its actual size, and worth about 200 million. James' office said there was a difference in dollar value.
Mr. Trump denied the allegation, arguing that it is common in the real estate industry to seek the highest valuation. He said James' investigation was politically motivated and that her office "does everything within its corrupt discretion to interfere with my business relationships and the political process." I'm here. He also accused James, who is black, of being racist in proceeding with the investigation.
"There are no cases." After ruling that James' office had a "clear right" to question Trump and other executives at his company, Judge Arthur Engolon said:
Once the investigation is over, James could sue and seek financial penalties against Trump or his company, or even decide to ban them from engaging in certain types of businesses.
Meanwhile, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has long conducted parallel criminal investigations. Not even a former president has been indicted for a crime.
In the fight to block the subpoenas, lawyers for the Trumps said New York officials were using civil investigations to obtain information for criminal investigations and that depositions would go to a grand jury. claimed to be a ruse to avoid the summons of If state law requires them to be granted immunity.
That criminal investigation seemed to move toward possible criminal charges against Trump himself, but slowed after new district attorney Alvin Bragg took office in January: Evidence heard. The grand jury that had been held was disbanded. The chief prosecutor in charge of the investigation resigned after Bragg internally questioned the feasibility of the case.
Bragg said the investigation was ongoing. , which may be behind Trump's refusal to answer questions from James' investigators during a deposition in the Manhattan office tower that doubles as the headquarters of the fictional conglomerate Waystar Loiko. - - on HBO's "Succession," run by characters partially inspired by Trump.
------
Balsamo and Sisak Reported from Washington. Associated Press journalist Jill Colvin, who lives in New York, contributed to this report.