NEW YORK — Former president Donald Trump is scheduled to give sworn testimony Wednesday in the New York Attorney General’s civil probe into his business dealings, specifically his representations to lenders and tax agencies about the value of his assets.
Trump to be deposed Wednesday in New York civil probe of his business
FBI agents left the property Monday with about a dozen boxes that were being stored at Trump’s estate. The former president had surrendered about 15 boxes to the archives in January, some of which contained material marked classified.
In announcing the legal action at his Palm Beach, Fla. property, Trump blasted the Justice Department for seeking a search warrant and insisted he had been cooperative with authorities and that there was no need for an official action. The Presidential Records Act mandates that documents like memos, letters, emails and other communications produced during a presidential term be preserved.
Since 2019, Trump has been facing criminal and civil investigations into his business practices at the Trump Organization before he entered the White House. The criminal probe, led by the New York District Attorney’s office, appears to have lost momentum. The civil inquiry is still underway, however, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
Trump’s deposition was confirmed by a person familiar with the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing probe. The session, along with testimony by his daughter Ivanka Trump and son Donald Trump Jr., was postponed due to the July 14 death of their mother Ivana Trump.
In a post on Trump’s social media service Truth Social early Wednesday, Trump continued his long-running attacks on James’s investigation, calling the Black law enforcement official “racist,” and saying he was seeing her “for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. History!”
He has repeatedly accused James, a Democrat, of targeting him and his business to score political points — pointing to comments she made on the campaign trail promising to investigate Trump and the Trump Organization. Lawyers for Trump have said that the valuations practices James is concerned with are standard in the real estate industry.
James could file a lawsuit against the Trump Organization and its executives should she conclude that their conduct legally amounted to wrongdoing.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) has said a parallel criminal investigation into the same practices is still underway, even after the two prosecutors leading the investigation resigned in protest earlier this year.
Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz left the office when they learned Bragg was not on board with moving to obtain an indictment. At the time, Bragg said the investigation would continue and appointed a member of his executive team to lead the effort.
The criminal case began under Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. (D), who did not seek re-election. Bragg took office in January. So far, Trump’s longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg and the Trump Organization have bene indicted in connection to a long-running tax avoidance scheme.
Weisselberg and the company have pleaded not guilty and are due in court on Friday for pre-trial proceedings.
Source: WP
