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In a statement released on Truth social, Donald Trump said that he invoked his Fifth Amendment right in a line of questioning from NY Attorney General Letitia James.
“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company, and all of 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,” Trump said.
Donald Trump and his children have been under civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization misled lenders, insurers, and tax authorities by providing them misleading financial statements.
Earlier this year, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and his children could be deposed as part of the civil litigation filed by NY Attorney General Letitia James.
“Under the advice of my counsel and for all of the above reasons, I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution,” Trump said in his statement.
Donald Trump pleads the Fifth Amendment
The New York office is looking into whether Trump and his children lied about the value of their real estate holdings, and the sworn testimony could have had the potential to reshape his business prospects.
In April, Judge Engoron held Trump in contempt for failing to comply with the court’s order compelling him to produce certain documents in the AG’s investigation.
Donald J. Trump is in contempt of Court and must pay a fine of $10,000 per day, from the date of this Decision and Order, until he purges such contempt to the satisfaction of this Court,” Judge Engoron wrote in a three-page written order. It is unclear how much Trump has had to pay in fines and if he ever complied with producing documents.
The scheduled deposition comes two days after a team of 30 FBI agents raided Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Details of the FBI’s warrant and what they were searching for have not yet been released.