James alleges the Trump Organization exaggerated the value of its holdings to impress lenders or misstated what land was worth to slash its tax burden, pointing to annual financial statements given to banks to secure favorable loan terms and to financial magazines to justify Trump’s place among the world’s billionaires. James, a Democrat, has said in court filings that her office has uncovered “significant” evidence that Trump’s company “used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain a host of economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions.” Weisselberg and the company have pleaded not guilty. On Friday, the Trump Organization and its longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, will be in court seeking dismissal of tax fraud charges brought against them last year in the Manhattan district attorney’s parallel criminal probe - spurred by evidence uncovered by James' office. and another son, Eric Trump, who sat for a deposition in James’ investigation in 2020. The Trumps’ testimony had initially been planned for last month but was delayed after the July 14 death of the former president’s ex-wife, Ivana Trump, the mother of Ivanka, Donald Jr. When their brother Eric Trump sat for a deposition in the same investigation in 2020, he invoked the Fifth more than 500 times, according to court papers. It's unclear whether they invoked the Fifth Amendment during their depositions. The people were not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. and Ivanka, testified in the investigation in recent days, two people familiar with the matter said. Two of Trump’s adult children, Donald Jr. The Republican's deposition - a legal term for sworn testimony that’s not given in court - was one of the few remaining missing pieces, the attorney general’s office said. In May, James' office said that it was nearing the end of its probe and that investigators had amassed substantial evidence that could support legal action against Trump, his company or both. What Does It Mean to ‘Plead the Fifth' and Will Trump Face Consequences for Invoking It? “My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides," Trump wrote beforehand on Truth Social, the social media platform he founded. The civil investigation, led by James' office, involves allegations that Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, misstated the value of prized assets like golf courses and skyscrapers, misleading lenders and tax authorities. Wednesday's events unfolded as a flurry of legal activity surrounds the former president - just days before, FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of an unrelated federal probe into whether he took classified records when he left the White House. On his social media platform, Trump later described it as "a very professional meeting." Trump met with lawyers from the attorney general's office for about six hours, NBC News reported. "Attorney General James will pursue the facts and the law wherever they may lead. Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination," according to a spokesperson for James. Jones "took part in the deposition during which Mr. 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 added.Īs vociferous as Trump has been in defending himself in written statements and on the rally stage, legal experts say the same strategy could have backfired in a deposition setting because anything he says could potentially be used in the parallel criminal investigation pursued by the Manhattan district attorney. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox. We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter - The 4Front.
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