Donald Trump, a former president of the United States, stated on Wednesday that he exercised his constitutional right against self-incrimination by declining to provide any information during a civil investigation into the business practices of his family before the attorney general of New York state.
The investigation by state attorney general Letitia James is looking into whether the Trump Organization inflated real estate values to get favorable loans and understated asset values to get tax breaks. Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr., and daughter Ivanka Trump had fought unsuccessfully to avoid giving testimony.
After arriving in a motorcade to the attorney general’s office in lower Manhattan for the deposition behind closed doors, Trump made a statement saying, “I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges provided to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”
Self-incrimination is protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Trump’s decision to avoid answering questions could still have repercussions. In the event that the investigation results in a trial, the jury might consider his silence. Politically, it might give opponents more reason to believe that Trump is hiding something as he considers running for president again in 2024.
The Trump Organization, which handles hotels, golf courses, and other real estate, has allegedly given banks and tax officials false financial information in order to get benefits, according to James.
Trump departed her office around six hours after arriving, indicating he spent the most of the day being questioned. After the deposition, Trump boasted about his business on social media and referred to it as a “very professional meeting.”
James took part in the deposition, the New York attorney general’s office stated in a statement, and he confirmed that Trump exercised his Fifth Amendment rights.
The statement continued, “Attorney General James will follow the facts and the law wherever they may go.” “Our inquiry is ongoing.”
The inquiry by James, a Democrat, is part of a years-long vendetta against him by her and others, including the news media, according to Trump, a Republican, who once again denied wrongdoing.
He also made an effort to connect James’s investigation to the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, which marked the expansion of a federal investigation into whether he improperly took records from the White House before leaving office in January 2021.
“I once questioned why you were taking the Fifth Amendment if you were innocent.” Added Trump. “I now understand the response to that query.”
“You have no option,” Trump said, “when your family, your business, and everyone in your immediate vicinity have been made the focus of a politically motivated Witch Hunt, sponsored by attorneys, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media.
Trump also disparaged James and the violent crime in the state of New York in the statement.
After court rulings rejected his claim that he shouldn’t be required to testify because the inquiry was politically motivated, Trump consented in June to do so in the three-year-old investigation.
Trump’s attorneys also contended that James could be unfairly targeted in a connected criminal investigation being conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In that case, two top prosecutors resigned in March; one of them claimed that Bragg was hesitant to charge Trump. On Wednesday, a Bragg spokesman stated that the criminal investigation is ongoing.
In the past, Trump has criticized people for exercising their Fifth Amendment rights.
Trump remarked, “The mob takes the Fifth,” at a 2016 campaign event. Why are you taking the Fifth Amendment if you’re innocent?
In a case involving Democrat Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email server for official business while serving as secretary of state, he was referring to individuals who had used their Fifth Amendment rights. Trump’s opponent in that year’s presidential race was Clinton.
On the way to the deposition on Wednesday morning, Trump raised his fist as he exited Trump Tower while donning a blue suit and a flag pin on his lapel. As his convoy approached, police officers and Secret Service agents stood watch.
Then, a group of 200 people gathered outside to await Trump’s entrance. As Trump’s car departed, a man yelled, “We love you, save us.” Minutes before, two other guys screamed the phrase “Lock him up,” which some Trump fans have previously used in reference to Clinton.
Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. also gave testimony in James’ investigation recently, according to a person familiar with the situation. It was unclear to the media whether they objected to being questioned. While testifying in 2020, their brother Eric Trump used the Fifth Amendment more than 500 times.
According to a person familiar with the situation, the focus of the FBI’s investigation on Monday was the National Archives and Records Administration, which protects publicly accessible presidential records, and whether any secret documents were housed at Mar-a-Lago.
On Wednesday, Trump criticized the search as a “surprise strike” once more on social media.
