America. Donald Trump and his two children before the New York State Attorney General – tax fraud investigation

New York Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a civil investigation into the family’s business practices Donald Trump. He examines whether the Trump Organization has overstated property values. Donald Trump and his two-year-old children, Donald Trump Jr. And Ivanka Trump agreed to testify. “Tonight in New York. I will meet with the racist Attorney General to continue the biggest witch hunt in history. America! My great company and I are under attack from all sides. Banana Republic! ” Trump wrote in a post on his social media site Indeed on Tuesday evening.

The former US president was due to appear before James on Wednesday. As he left Trump Tower that morning, wearing a blue suit and a flag brooch pin on his lapel, he raised his fist in protest. Policemen and Secret Service officers were at the scene until the convoy arrived to transport him.

The former president later said in a statement that he refused to answer the prosecutor’s questions “as part of the rights and privileges granted to every citizen under the United States Constitution.” It appeared about an hour after the former president arrived at the attorney general’s office to testify behind closed doors.

“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why do you invoke the Fifth Amendment?’ Trump continued. And he added, “Now I know the answer to that question.” “When your family, your business and everyone in your orbit is the target of a baseless, politically motivated witch hunt backed by lawyers, prosecutors and the fake news media, you have no choice.”

Trump, however, left the New York state attorney general’s office less than six hours after his arrival, which Reuters news agency noted, saying he faced questions for most of the day.

A spokeswoman for the New York state attorney general declined to comment on Trump’s testimony. Also, his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Attorney Letitia James accused Trump’s company, she and her two children, of understating the value of assets owned by the Trump Organization and understating it when applying for loans. In July 2021, the Trump Organization was charged by New York state authorities with tax fraud of $900,000.

The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution protects against self-incrimination or the compulsion to confess guilt. However, Trump’s decision not to answer questions could have consequences. If the investigation leads to a trial, judges may consider his silence. Reuters asserts that it could also give his opponents a basis to suggest that Trump has something to hide when he considers running for president in 2024.

On Monday, Trump made the announcement Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents raided his home Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. The property search began on Monday night Polish time. The former US president was not home at the time as he was spending the summer at his golf club in Bedminster, NJ.

– Our country is living in dark times. My beautiful home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, is under siege and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. They also broke into my safe, Donald Trump said, announcing that his assets had been raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

As a result of the search, FBI agents removed boxes of documents from former US President Donald Trump’s property in Florida, CNN reported on Monday, citing its sources.

read more: Trump and his children must testify under oath in the asset forfeiture case

In turn, the New York Times, citing its sources, said that the search warrants turned up documents related to Donald Trump, including classified documents that were supposed to be taken from the White House to Florida, against the law.

The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.