Former US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he refused to answer questions during an appearance before the New York state attorney general in a civil investigation into his family’s business practices, citing his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Trump, his son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughter Ivanka Trump had fought unsuccessfully to avoid testifying in New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into whether the Trump Organization inflated real estate values to get soft loans and understated asset values. get tax exemptions.
“I refused to answer questions about the rights and privileges granted to every citizen under the Constitution of the United States,” Trump said in a statement issued about an hour after arriving, by motorcade, at the office of the attorney general in lower Manhattan.
The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution protects against self-incrimination. Trump’s decision not to answer questions could still have consequences, however; if the investigation leads to a trial, jurors could consider their silence. Politically, it could also give opponents ammunition on whether Trump has something to hide as he considers another run for the presidency in 2024.
James has said his investigation has uncovered significant evidence that the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate, gave banks and tax authorities misleading financial information to make a profit.
Trump did not leave the attorney general’s office until about six hours after arriving, suggesting he faced questioning for much of the day. In a social media post after the statement, Trump called it a “very professional meeting” while bragging about his company.
A spokesman for the New York attorney general’s office said in a statement that James participated in the deposition and confirmed that Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.
“Attorney General James will pursue the facts and the law wherever they may lead,” the spokesman said. “Our investigation continues.”
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Trump on Fifth Amendment grounds
Trump, a Republican, in his earlier statement denied wrongdoing and sought to portray the investigation of James, a Democrat, as part of a years-long vendetta against him by her and others, including the media.
He also sought to link the state attorney general’s investigation to Monday’s FBI search of his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, which represented an escalation of a federal investigation into whether he removed the ·legally the records of the White House when he left office in January 2021. .
“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why do you accept the Fifth Amendment?'” Trump said in his statement. “Now I know the answer to that question.”
Trump added: “When your family, your company and everyone in your orbit has become the target of a baseless and politically motivated witch hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors and Fake News Media, you have no choice.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks at a press conference in New York City on June 6. James has been leading a civil investigation of the Trump Organization since 2019. (Mary Altaffer/The Associated Press)
In the statement, Trump also made disparaging comments about James and violent crime in New York state.
Trump agreed in June to testify in the three-year investigation, but only after court rulings rejected his argument that the probe was politically motivated, so he shouldn’t have to testify.
His lawyers also argued that Trump’s words could be unfairly used against him in a related criminal investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, in which James is also involved. Two lead prosecutors in that case resigned in March, and one said Bragg was skeptical of bringing charges against Trump. A Bragg spokesman said Wednesday that the criminal investigation is ongoing.
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Trump previously disparaged people for exercising their Fifth Amendment rights.
“The mob takes the fifth,” Trump said during a 2016 campaign rally. “If you’re innocent, why do you accept the Fifth Amendment?”
In this case, he was talking about people who had exercised their Fifth Amendment rights in an investigation related to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for official correspondence while in office as secretary of state. Clinton was Trump’s opponent in that year’s presidential election.
Trump raised his fist as he left Trump Tower on Wednesday morning, dressed in a blue suit with a flag pin on the lapel, before heading to the deposition. Police officers and Secret Service personnel stood guard as the motorcade carrying Trump arrived.
Anti-Trump protesters stand in front of Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday. The FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate marked a dramatic and unprecedented escalation of law enforcement scrutiny of the former president, angering most Republicans. (Seth Wenig/The Associated Press)
A crowd of about 200 people then waited outside for Trump to emerge. One man yelled, “We love you, save us,” as Trump’s vehicle drove away. Two other men minutes earlier chanted, “Shut him up,” using words some Trump supporters previously used toward Clinton.
Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump also testified in recent weeks in the James investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter. Reuters could not determine whether they also declined to answer questions. His brother Eric Trump invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 500 times when he testified in October 2020.
Monday’s FBI search related to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, which safeguards presidential records in the public domain, and whether classified documents were kept at Mar-a-Lago, according to a person familiar with the matter.
On social media, Trump again complained Wednesday about the search as a “surprise attack.”