Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to answer questions under oath in New York over alleged fraud at his family business amid mounting legal pressure on the former president, whose home was searched by the FBI just two days ago.
Trump said he had “no choice” but to invoke the Fifth Amendment, which allows individuals to remain silent to protect themselves from self-incrimination during interrogation.
In a statement, Trump said, “I have declined to answer questions regarding the rights and privileges accorded to every citizen under the United States Constitution,” and said he accepted the advice of his counsel.
“If your family, your business, and everyone around you has become the target of a baseless, politically motivated witch hunt backed by lawyers, prosecutors, and the fake news media, you have no choice,” Trump said.
“If I had any questions, the raid on my home, Mar-a-Lago, by the FBI on Monday, just two days prior to this statement, has removed any uncertainty.”
Trump previously said on social media that he was in the offices of New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose investigation is one of several active investigations into the brazen billionaire’s business practices and other actions.
The former president took to his Truth Social platform to launch a spate of attacks on James, branding her a “racist” attorney general “trying to get Trump.”
James Conducts “A Sequel To The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History”! Trump wrote. “My great company and myself are under attack from all sides. Banana Republic!”
James suspects that the Trump Organization fraudulently overstated the value of real estate when applying for bank loans, while understating it to the tax authorities in order to pay less tax.
Trump and his eldest children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, were scheduled to testify under oath in July, but testimony was delayed due to the death of the former president’s first wife.
– Another run at the White House? –
The Trumps have denied any wrongdoing, and the former Republican leader has accused the probe of being politically motivated.
If James, an African-American Democrat, finds evidence of financial wrongdoing, she can sue the Trump Organization for damages but cannot press charges because this is a civil investigation.
Trump’s son Eric lashed out at James in a tweet on Wednesday, saying his father was “sitting for testimony before the most corrupt Attorney General in the United States.”
Donald Trump also released video clips on Wednesday of James verbally attacking Trump, calling him an “illegitimate president” and announcing a lawsuit.
The James probe is one of several legal battles Trump is embroiled in and threatens to complicate any bid for another White House run in 2024.
The deposition follows a Federal Criminal Police Office search of Trump’s Florida residence in an escalation of legal investigations into the 45th President that has sparked a political firestorm.
The FBI, which is headed by Christopher Wray, a Trump-appointed official, declined to give a reason for the raid.
However, US media said agents were conducting a court-authorized search related to the possible misuse of classified documents sent to Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House in January 2021.
As expected, Trump expressed his outrage at the search and called it “arming the judicial system”.
At the White House, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden received no advance notice about the raid and respected the Justice Department’s independence.
Since leaving office, Trump has remained the most controversial figure in the country and continues to sow untruths that he actually won the 2020 vote.
He has also faced intense legal scrutiny for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and for his supporters’ Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol.
#Trump #declines #answer #questions #York #civil #inquiry
