Former President Donald Trump said he declined to answer questions during a deposition on Aug. 10 in the New York investigation into his business.
“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ Now I know the answer to that question,” Trump said on Truth Social after meeting with New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice,” he added.
The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says in part that no person “shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.”
The deposition came after months of delay following a judge’s order in February.
James, a Democrat who vowed while campaigning to take action against Trump if she won the election, began investigating the Trump Organization shortly after she entered office in 2019.
James has said that the investigation into Trump’s business uncovered evidence of fraud, and asked a court in the state to compel the testimony of Trump and two of his children. New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump, Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump to testify. An appeal was rejected by the state’s top appeals court in June.
Trump said that based on his counsel’s advice, “I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”
James’ office declined to comment.
Subpoenas
Subpoenas for documents and testimony were issued in December 2021. The subpoena for Trump ordered the former president to produce documents and commanded him to appear and testify “as to what you know regarding the subject of an inquiry by LETITIA JAMES, Attorney General of the State of New York, pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 63(12), to determine whether an action or proceeding should be instituted with respect to repeated violations of the Executive Law.”
The law in question deals with fraudulent or illegal acts.
Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump were told they were wanted “to testify in connection with an investigation into the valuation of properties owned or controlled by Donald J. Trump or the Trump Organization, or any matter which the Attorney General deems pertinent thereto.”
The testimony may be recorded by stenography, video, and/or audio, the Trump children were told.
Trump’s lawyers said the subpoenas were improper because James was trying to “bypass the grand jury protections” in New York’s Constitution, asserting that information gleaned from the civil subpoenas could be used in a criminal case. Engoron said the argument “completely misses the mark,” ruling that the civil investigation had been ongoing “without the slightest hint that it was a subterfuge to garner evidence for a criminal investigation in the offing.”
The Trumps also sought a stay of the depositions. They were ultimately successful in delaying the depositions until the appeals court rejected the appeal.
LETITIA JAMES is just another token affirmative action hire. F her and the horse she rode in on.
Hmmm
It should be painfully obvious to all at this point that the reason Garland refused to give the Trump lawyers a copy of the warrant is simple: it is clear that Garland was on a fishing expedition because he didn’t have any evidence what so ever any crime had actually been committed by Trump, the so called “warrant” and affidavit will be rewritten after the fact to fit what ever “evidence” they “found”.
It should also been painfully obvious to all that there never was any actual incriminating “evidence” to be found at Trump’s home, hence the 30+ agents walking in with backpacks, etc. Even if the lawyers had been allowed to observe, they couldn’t possibly keep track of all 30 agents in a 50,000+ square foot estate at all times, leaving the corrupt FBI agents to once again plant incriminating evidence.
Violating FBI rules, regulations and procedures NO documentation took place on scene as to what was taken, where it was found, let alone who actually “found it” automatically destroying the chain of custody…
NEVER FORGET that the FBI has been caught outright and repeatedly planting evidence, falsifying documents, falsifying evidence presented to the FISA court, etc. This kind of criminal conspiracy by the FBI and the “justice” department against the Trumps has been going on for nearly a decade now…
What does the title of this article have ANYTHING to do with the article?? Intentional bait for clicks?
The writers on Truthpress ALWAYS, without fail, have egregious, embarrassing inconsistencies, errors, typos, you name it!!!
Im done reading anything from Truthpress. You’ve lost ALL credibility!
Dems are desperate. The vaunted Jan 6 Committee has proved a complete NOTHING BURGER. The raid of Mar-A-Lago is the MOST OBVIOUS fishing expedition ever perpetrated by a federal agency. The judge who granted the warrant is an Obama donor. The search terms, which are supposed to be specific and narrow – were not. Witnesses describe the confiscation as “indiscriminate” and the lawyers as “arrogant” claiming the warrant allowed an overly expansive search of everything and everywhere. Months earlier, the FBI had already reviewed the documents stored in the basement, so they knew exactly where to look. The warrant should have been more limited. Here’s the best part. The FBI is refusing to provide a copy of the warrant. They also told staff to turn off video recorders during the raid. Thank God they refused. Trumps lawyers were not allowed to witness the 9 and a half hour raid. The Deep state knows Trump plans to clean house if re-elected – and all of these partisan agencies will lose thousands of government civilians who are openly partisan careerists. They know if Trump is re-elected, they are screwed. They will DO ANYTHING to stop him. Trump better beef up his security with PRIVATE assets. Even the Secret Service cannot be trusted.