Donald Trump will answer questions under oath Wednesday as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James's lengthy civil investigation into his deal as a real estate mogul. said he refused.
The day before he was scheduled to appear for a deposition, the former U.S. president made a cheeky post on his Truth Social social media platform, denouncing legal encounters. rice field.
"Tonight in New York City. Seeing the racist NYS Attorney General tomorrow for the continuation of the greatest witch hunt in American history. Mr. Trump wrote: Ms. James is black,and she is the first woman of color to hold an elected office in New York state.
"My great company and myself are under attack from all sides," Trump posted, adding "Banana Republic."
When the former president arrived at about 9:00 a.m., Secret agents and police from his service were patrolling the streets near his Attorney General's office on Liberty Street in Lower Manhattan. was witnessed.
Trump faces a growing number of investigations by state and federal authorities.
On Monday, his Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida was searched by his FBI agents. The exact purpose of the raid remains unknown, but it may have been related toclassified documentsthat may have been removed from the White House.
The former president, who has taken numerous depositions over the years, including several business bankruptcy cases, fought hard to avoid testifying against James' investigation. The lawsuit includes allegations that Trump's company, the Trump Organization, misrepresented the value of assets, including some of his golf courses and skyscrapers, to mislead lenders and tax authorities. is included.
At the heart of the lawsuit is his allegation that Trump has falsely inflated his fortune for decades. This is a dance that involves advertising, maximizing access to bank loans and minimizing tax liability. "It looks better if it's worth $10 billion than if it's worth $4 billion," he once said. In his book The Art of the Deal, he chose to describe his own business his style as "true exaggeration."
In May, James' office said the investigation was nearing conclusion and that investigators had gathered enough evidence to support legal action, including a lawsuit against Trump, his company, or both. said. The Attorney General's Office said Trump's deposition was one of the few remaining pieces to be collected.
His two of Trump's adult children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka is believed to have testified in a recent investigation. Trump's testimony was originally scheduled for last month, but was postponed following the July 14 death of his ex-wife Ivana Trump.
Among the Trump Organization holdings James is investigating is Trump International Scotland, a golf resort in Aberdeenshire. Trump bought the 2,000-acre property in 2006 for $12.6 million. Five years later, it was valued at $161 million by the Trump Organization. By 2014, it made him $436 million.
A sharp rise in value caught James' attention. “We have found significant evidence to suggest that Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization have erroneously and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented their value to financial institutions for economic gain.”James' office said in a filing earlier this year.
Also scrutinized was the Seven Springs Estate, a plot of land in Westchester, New York that was purchased in 1995 for $7.5 million. I'm here. By 2004 he was valued at $80 million and by 2014 he was valued at $291 million. That his 2014 figure included a valuation of $161 million for "seven nonexistent mansions," James said.
Her office also alleged that the Trump Organization exaggerated the size of Trump's Manhattan penthouse, making it nearly three times its actual size, and its value she exaggerated by $200 million. claims to be evaluated.
Trump denied the allegations, explaining that seeking the best possible valuation is a common practice in the real estate industry.
"There is no case," Trump said in a February statement. After ruling that there is a “right”, he said:
While James is considering suing Trump or his firm, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office is pursuing a parallel investigation. Problems arose after the lead prosecutor resigned after raising internal questions about the feasibility of the case.
Mr. Bragg said the investigation was ongoing, and on this basis Trump exercised his Fifth Amendment right to self-incrimination and refused to answer questions from James' investigators. may refuse to answer.
When the investigation is closed, James decides to file a lawsuit and seek financial penalties against Trump or his company, or ban them from engaging in certain types of businesses. There is a possibility. Previous legal clashes with James in 2019 when James was fined his $2 million for misappropriation of charity property and banned from running charitable organizations in the future.