Former President Donald Trump has been facing an investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia ‘Tish” James… and he will be legally forced to testify soon.
Specifically, Trump must appear under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business, according to a judge’s ruling from Thursday.
Trump called the investigation a politically charged “witch hunt.”
Previously, James subpoenaed the former president and two members of his family.
Trump’s legal team moved to block the subpoenas, but the court denied the motion and ruled in favor of James.
“This argument completely misses the mark,” the court wrote in the eight-page ruling. “The motion of respondents Donald J. Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump, Jr. to quash the subpoenas that the New York State Office of the Attorney General issued to them… is hereby denied.”
James, a Democrat, says her investigation has uncovered evidence Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of his assets to get loans and tax benefits.
On Twitter, James has patted herself on the back for “leading the resistance against Donald Trump in NYC.” She ran for governor in New York’s upcoming election, but she embarrassed herself by rapidly dropping her campaign.
Manhattan’s district attorney, along with James, is also investigating, and if Trump were to testify in the civil probe, anything he says could be used against him in a criminal proceeding. Last year, the district attorney’s office charged Trump’s company and his longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg in what prosecutors called a “sweeping and audacious” tax fraud scheme.
I've been leading the resistance against Donald Trump in NYC and will only continue to do so in every way possible #NYCVotes #NY1Politics
— Tish James (@TishJames) October 16, 2017
Trump has repeatedly denied James’ allegations against him.
“So, Crooked Hillary Clinton, one of the most corrupt politicians ever to run for President, can break into the White House, my apartment, buildings I own, and my campaign… On the other hand, failed Gubernatorial candidate, Letitia James, can run for the office of AG on saying absolutely horrendous and false things about Donald Trump, a man she doesn’t know and has never met, go on to get elected, and then selectively prosecute him and his family,” Trump said in a statement through his Save America PAC.
“She is doing everything within their corrupt discretion to interfere with my business relationships, and with the political process.”
The former president also characterized Weisselberg’s case as an isolated incident. He wrote, “With the rest of the case, even [the Manhattan District Attorney] just left the DA’s office without prosecuting anything additional, because there isn’t anything additional to prosecute—THERE IS NO CASE!”
Trump may appeal the court’s ruling in another attempt to block James’ subpoenas.
If unsuccessful, Trump will either answer the questions or invoke the Fifth Amendment to remain silent. Trump has pleaded the Fifth before, during a divorce case from 1990. Alternately, he tweeted in 2014, “I am no fan of Bill Cosby but never-the-less some free advice – if you are innocent, do not remain silent. You look guilty as hell!”
Eric Trump testified in 2020 after his own subpoena. He invoked the Fifth hundreds of times.
The court has yet to give a timeline on the former president’s case.
Read the full statement here —
NEW!
President Donald J. Trump:
“So, Crooked Hillary Clinton, one of the most corrupt politicians ever to run for President, can break into the White House, my apartment, buildings I own, and my campaign—in other words, she can spy on a Presidential candidate and ultimately… pic.twitter.com/L0gP8aeDUF
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) February 18, 2022
The Horn News and The Associated Press contributed to this article.