Donald Trump declines to answer in NY probe, invokes Fifth Amendment rights

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he declined to answer questions at a deposition by investigators for the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his dealings as a real estate mogul. 

Trump was questioned under oath at the offices of AG Letitia James in New York City.

“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ Now I know the answer to that question,” Trump said in a statement.

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“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 said.

“Accordingly, 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,” he said.

Trump’s refusal to answer questions and invoking of the Fifth Amendment came two days after the FBI, in an unrelated criminal investigation, searched his resort home Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. The search was related to a probe into whether he took classified records when he left the White House.

The civil investigation involves allegations that Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, did not reveal the actual price of his assets like golf courses and skyscrapers, misleading lenders and tax authorities.

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“My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides,” Trump wrote ahead of the questioning on Truth Social, the social media platform he founded. 

According to the Guardian, two of Trump’s children, Donald Jr and Ivanka, are believed to have testified in the investigation in recent days.