But after all, the sediment doesn't seem to move much. Trump declined to answer the question on Wednesdayand instead decided to assert his Fifth Amendment right to self-incrimination.
"I once asked, 'If you're innocent, why do you have the Fifth Amendment?' Now I know the answer to that question," Trump said. said in a statement on Wednesday. "When your family, your company, and everyone around you becomes the target of an unsubstantiated, politically motivated witch hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors and the fake news media, you I have no choice."
A spokeswoman for James' office declined to comment. Observers said Trump's roundtable with James suggested the investigation was in the final stages and pointed to another recent high-profile question: 11-hour interview with James. An 11-hour interview with James was one of the last steps before she released a final report on his unrelated cheating.
Legal experts said the former president's decision could give some people, including jury candidates, the impression that he had something to hide.
"I am concerned that if he testifies, his statements may be used against him in some criminal proceedings." Yorke, Albany Law School.
And James could theoretically get the realization.
"[James] can now claim to defend himself in the fifth. Afterwards, he is concerned about potential criminal liability and therefore her investigation is worthwhile." So she can proceed with the charges against him and go to court," said Joshua Schiller, a partner at Boise Schiller Flexner LLP, who filed the lawsuit with the Attorney General. "On the other hand, I imagine [Trump] would say, 'I'm not going to answer the question because this is a kangaroo coat and nobody listens to me anyway.'"[22]
That's exactly what Trump hinted in Wednesday's statement,linking James' investigation to federal agents searching his Mar-a-Lago estateearlier this week.
"If there was any doubt in my mind, the FBI's raid on my home, Mar-a-Lago, on Monday, just two days before this statement, put it in an uncertain position." Sex has been wiped out, and the current administration and many prosecutors in this country have lost all boundaries of moral and ethical decency, so I have absolutely no choice," Trump said.
State and federal courts have repeatedly dismissed Trump's politically motivated claims and denied Trump's attempts to avoid a deposition.
Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Trump walked from his tower's midtown apartment to the Attorney General's office downtown. Until then, the media swarmed after the former president. Trump waved and raised a fist at onlookers and media personnel as he left for his deposition. He arrived at James' office at 28 Liberty Street in the financial district around 9:00 am. He gathered on the sidewalks and street corners surrounding the entrance to the skyscraper.
Despite Trump saying he would exercise his right to oppose self-incrimination, he locked himself in the Attorney General's office until mid-afternoon.
Trump's decision not to answer questions could complicate the Attorney General's efforts to link Trump with allegations of wrongdoing.
"Whether or not he himself is directly related to the statements he claims they are false or misrepresented on tax returns or otherwise, it is his testimony." "It's a question that we might not be able to resolve without it," Schiller said. If so, she would probably not be able to substantiate a case that specifically involved him."
Indeed, James' office wrote in court filings earlier this year: Trump's actual knowledge of the many false statements and omissions made by him or on his behalf, and his intentions, are essential elements in resolving the OAG investigation in a proper and fair manner.
She detailed evidence that the Trump Organization used "fraudulent or misleading asset valuations" to obtain favorable loans and other financial benefits. All of these misstatements were included in Trump's annual financial statements, snapshots of his assets and net worth, filed with banks and insurance companies. It can lead to problems like this. I think there's an issue there that has to be brought to court," Schiller said.
"The investigation would have been much better if he had been willing to answer questions. He talks too much and gets in trouble," Bombentl said. "Almost certainly he would have added evidence against him. I doubt his lawyers want him to answer questions. They know who he is. The best thing to do is tell him to shut up."
James withdrew from last year's gubernatorial run to seek re-election for AG. From a political perspective, she could continue to show that she's focused on Trump's wrongdoings as he seeks his second term in November, one political analyst said. rice field.
"Donald Trump has never been popular in New York, not before he became president, not during the presidency, not after the presidency," said a longtime researcher at the Siena University Institute. said Steven Greenberg, Democratic strategist and polling spokesperson for . "So this will only be a political gain for James. It will not be a political blow to her - certainly not her base."
Joseph Spector contributed to this report.
