Donald Trump Says He Petition The Fifth In Deposition With New York Attorney General Civil Investigation

Donald Trump Declined Answer At N.Y. State Attorney General

Former President Donald Trump deteriorated to answer questions while under oath at the New York state attorney general's office on Wednesday, instead invoking his Fifth Amendment right.The news that Trump would sit for impeachment in the civil case into his business dealings was declared by Trump himself, who wrote in a post on his social media site Truth Social that he would be seeing New York Attorney General Letitia James for a continuation of the best Witch Hunt in U.S. history! The Banana Republic! My best company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides.

Trump Pleaded The Fifth Amendment

Trump later announced he pleaded the Fifth Amendment during his testimony, the Associated Press says, and refused to answer questions under oath. As he indicated in his statement, he has previously criticized those who plead the Fifth.

I once asked why you are taking the Fifth Amendment if you are innocent. Now I know the answer to that question, Trump's statement said, per the AP. When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the goal of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice.Footage shared on Twitter by former Fox News host Greta Van Susteren shows Trump's motorcade arriving at the courthouse Wednesday morning.

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The Ongoing Probe

Trump's adult children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., sat for depositions earlier this month as part of the ongoing probe into the Trump Organization's finances.The testimony comes as part of James' civil analysis into whether the Trump Organization distorts the value of its assets on annual financial statements, tax submissions, and other documents to secure loans and insurance coverage and obtain other economic and tax benefits.

Report From James Office Said

James' office has said it has evidence of defrauding or misleading asset valuations used by Trump to secure loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions. The attorney general's office said that each of the individuals was directly involved in one or more transactions under review.

The Trumps fought earlier attempts to get them to testify in the case, previously asking a judge to quash what they called a remarkable and unconstitutional bid for their testimony after being subpoenaed in December.

The court ultimately directed Donald, Donald Jr., and Ivanka to appear for testimony, a decision reaffirmed after appeal.

President Trump's middle son, Eric Trump, who serves as an executive vice president at Trump Organization, was subpoenaed earlier and testified in 2020.

According to reports, however, he and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg asserted their Fifth Amendment right when questioned.

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James Investigation

The Trumps have argued that James' investigation is culturally motivated, which James has repeatedly denied.

The family is currently facing a civil and criminal investigation into the accuracy of the Trump Organization's financial statements. The criminal investigation had slowed after senior prosecutors resigned when a district attorney reportedly expressed doubts about the case, the New York Times reports, but the case remains ongoing.

Trump's Wednesday impeachment comes amid other legal woes for the former president, whose Mar-a-Lago home was found by federal authorities earlier this week.

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Trump Email Statement Says

On Monday night, Trump declared in an email to his supporters that his beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents, declaring the search prosecutorial misconduct.

The probe reportedly articulation whether he took the classified file from the White House and to his private residence at Mar-a-Lago after he left office and other news outlets reported.

Doing so would disregard the Presidential Records Act, which requires commanders in chief to preserve all files during their tenure and hand them over to the National Archives and Records Administration when they leave office.