Ex US President, Donald Trump, who is under investigation for tax law breaks, has refused to answer questions as part of a New York state investigations into his family’s business practices.
In an effort to stop the investigation, Donald Trump has sued New York attorney general’s office which is in charge of the investigations.
State officials accuse the Trump Organization of misleading authorities about the value of its assets in order to get favourable loans and tax breaks.
Former President Trump, however, denied wrongdoing and has called the civil probe a witch hunt.
Shortly after Mr. Trump’s arrival at the Manhattan office where he was questioned under oath, Mr Trump released a statement in which he criticised 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. I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”
Donald Trump
Trump’s deposition comes just days after the FBI executed an unprecedented search warrant at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as part of a separate investigation that is reportedly linked to his handling of classified material. While the attorney general’s investigation is a civil one, a parallel investigation is being carried out by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office which could result in criminal charges.
In lieu of the foregoing, Legal analysts suggest Mr Trump may have declined to answer questions because his answers could have been used against him in that criminal investigation. The former president invoked the Fifth Amendment, which protects people from being compelled to be a witness against themselves in a criminal case.
Remaining Investigative Procedures to be Carried Out
Ms James’ office stated that the depositions– a legal term that means testimony not given in court were among the last remaining investigative procedures to be carried out.
Once the investigation concludes, the state attorney general could decide to bring a lawsuit seeking financial penalties against Mr Trump or his company.
Ms James had sought Mr Trump’s deposition and that of two of his children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr, for more than six months while the family resisted subpoenas through the New York court system.
The investigation, which was first opened in 2019, seeks to prove that Mr Trump and the Trump Organization misrepresented the value of assets in order to obtain favourable loans and tax breaks. The alleged fraud is said to have taken place before Mr Trump took office.
However, some supporters of Trump believed the narrative that he is being persecuted just as he himself said. Meanwhile, his refusal to answer questions may force people to see it as a sign that there’s substance to the case against him.
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