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Trump Repeatedly Invokes the Fifth Amendment in NY Fraud Deposition Video

James also deposed three of Trump's children in an investigation that lasted for three years

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Sadaf Hasan
Sadaf Hasan
Aspiring reporter covering trending topics

UNITED STATES: On Tuesday, the New York State Attorney General’s office released a video of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s civil investigation last summer.

In the video, Trump can be seen using his right under the Fifth Amendment not to talk about his family’s business when asked about it. This was part of a refusal to answer that he did more than 400 times.

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“Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool,” said Trump.

On the counsel’s advice, Trump said he “respectfully declined” to answer the questions under the “rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”

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In a three-year investigation, Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, also questioned three of Trump’s children: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump.

Trump frequently argued that he had received unfair treatment in his deposition.

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James said to him, “Anything you say in this examination may be used in a civil proceeding, which may include a civil enforcement proceeding or a criminal action. Do you understand that?”

“I think,” Trump retorted.

“Is that a “yes”? James inquired.

“I don’t know what I did wrong, but the answer is yes, I do understand,” Trump replied.

Trump was also cautioned against the risk of lying.

He read a prepared statement in which he called James “a rogue and out-of-control prosecutor” and said that the James case was “the biggest witch hunt in the history of our country.”

“This whole thing is very unfair,” he continued.

In a statement, Trump confirmed the deposition and his earlier unwillingness to respond to inquiries, saying: “I once asked, If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? Now I am informed of the response to that query.”

“When your family, your company, and all 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 replied.

The deposition was held on August 10, just two days after FBI investigators searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for classified documents.

In his remarks, Trump said that the raid “wiped out any doubt” over whether or not to take the fifth during James’ deposition.

James said that at the end of September 2022, he would file a big lawsuit against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization.

Trump, according to James, “falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us. He did this with the help of the other defendants.” 

The lawsuit says that “the number of grossly inflated asset values is staggering,” and it wants to stop the Trumps from holding executive positions in New York and stop the business from buying commercial real estate or getting loans from New York-based companies for five years.

Trump sued James in November for what he called James’ “relentless, poisonous, public, and unrepentant crusade” against him.

Trump withdrew the lawsuit this month, a day after a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton was dismissed, and he and his attorney were fined almost $1 million.

Trump, ever the litigant, announced on Monday that he would sue Simon & Schuster and Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward for nearly $50 million for a book he claims he did not write.

In addition to the civil lawsuit in New York state, Trump is also in legal trouble as he works harder to get the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

The 2016 hush money payment to a porn star is being reexamined by New York City prosecutors who previously succeeded in getting Trump’s senior financial manager convicted of tax offences.

E. Jean Carroll, a writer who alleges that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s, is also suing Trump in New York. Trump disputes Carroll’s claims.

Trump tried to change the results of the 2020 election and pushed for an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Both of these actions are being looked into by the Department of Justice and state authorities. On January 6, a House committee sent four criminal referrals for these actions.

Trump complained about “Democrat D.A.’s [sic], attorney generals, and prosecutors” in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, calling them “very dangerous to the well-being of our country.”

Also Read: Ron DeSantis Lays the Groundwork for 2024 White House Bid as Trump Hits Campaign Trail

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