Donald Trump refuses to answer in New York state investigation

• Former US President Donald Trump refuses to answer questions about his family’s business practices.
• New York state officials want to interview him as part of a civil investigation.
• The Trump Organization is accused by of deceiving assets in order to obtain favorable loans and tax breaks.

Former US President Donald Trump has refused to answer questions about his family’s business practises as part of a New York state investigation.

Mr Trump filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent the interview from taking place at the New York Attorney General’s Office.

The Trump Organization is accused by state officials of deceiving authorities about the value of its assets in order to obtain favorable loans and tax breaks.

Mr. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the civil investigation a witch hunt.
Mr Trump issued a statement an hour after being photographed arriving at the Manhattan office where he was questioned under oath, criticizing New York Attorney General Letitia James and the broader investigation.

“Years of work and tens of millions of dollars have been spent on this long simmering saga, and to no avail,” he said. “I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”

The interview took place on Wednesday, according to Ms James’ office, and  “Mr Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination”.

“Attorney General James will pursue the facts and the law wherever they may lead,” the statement added. “Our investigation continues.”

His deposition comes just days after the FBI executed an unprecedented search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of a separate investigation into his handling of classified material.

While the attorney general’s investigation is civil, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is conducting a parallel investigation that could result in criminal charges.

According to legal experts, Mr. Trump may have declined to answer questions on Wednesday because his answers could have been used against him in the criminal investigation. The former president invoked the Fifth Amendment, which protects people from being forced to testify against themselves in court.
According to his lawyer, Ronald Fischetti, the questioning lasted about four hours and included lengthy breaks.

Mr Trump began by reading into the record a statement condemning the attorney general and her investigation, as well as invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.

He then responded to every question with “same answer.”

According to Ms James’ office, the depositions – a legal term for testimony given outside of court – were among the last remaining investigative procedures to be completed.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, the state attorney general may decide to file a lawsuit seeking financial penalties against Mr Trump or his company.

Ms James had been seeking Mr Trump’s deposition, as well as that of two of his children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr, for more than six months, while the family fought subpoenas in New York courts.

Mr Trump’s lawyers also attempted to sue Ms James to prevent her from questioning the former president and his children.

However, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled in February that all three must appear for depositions. Earlier this month, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr were questioned.

The investigation had uncovered “copious evidence of possible financial fraud,” according to the judge, giving the attorney general a “clear right” to question the former president and two of his children involved in the business under oath.

Ms James praised the judge’s decision, declaring that “justice has prevailed.”

The investigation, which began in 2019, seeks to establish that Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization lied about the value of assets in order to obtain favorable loans and tax breaks. The alleged fraud is said to have occurred prior to Mr. Trump’s election.

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