First modification:
Former President Donald Trump spent hours at the offices of the New York attorney general on Thursday, April 13, for his second statement in a legal battle over his company’s business practices. His lawyer pointed out that this time he was answering questions rather than invoking his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.
“President Trump is not only willing but eager to testify before the attorney general today,” his attorney, Alina Habba, had said in a statement issued shortly after the tycoon entered the Manhattan skyscraper. “He stands firm in his position that he has nothing to hide, and he is eager to educate the Attorney General on the immense success of his multi-million dollar enterprise.”
The Republican met with lawyers for Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump last year. According to the official, Trump and his family misled banks and business partners by giving them false information about his net worth and the value of assets such as hotels and golf courses.
The lawsuit is unrelated to the felony criminal charges brought against Trump by the Manhattan district attorney, which led to his historic criminal arraignment last week. The first for a former president.
In a social media post Thursday morning, Trump called the lawsuit “ridiculous.” An adjective with which he cataloged “all the other cases of electoral interference” against him.
He raised his fist as he left his Trump Tower apartment, and his motorcade arrived at the attorney general’s office around 9:42 a.m. local time. The interrogation lasted for more than seven hours.
James declined to answer a question about the statement at a news conference on an unrelated matter on Wednesday.
the first meeting
Trump previously met with James’ lawyers on August 10, but refused to answer all but a few procedural questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights more than 400 times.
At the time, James had not yet filed his lawsuit and it was unclear whether questions about how Trump valued his company would become the basis of a criminal case.
“Anyone in my position who did not accept the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool,” he said in that statement, which was videotaped and later released publicly. Trump predicted that a “rogue” prosecutor would try to turn his answers into a criminal case, if he gave them.
“A slightly wrong statement or response, just slightly, by accident, by mistake, like it was a beautiful sunny day, when it was really slightly cloudy, would be received by law enforcement at a level rarely seen in this country. because I’ve experienced it,” he said.
Circumstances have since changed. Criminal charges filed by the Manhattan district attorney centered on how the company internally accounted for payments to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, for paying two women not to go public with stories about extramarital sexual encounters. Some that Trump claims never happened.
The lawsuit James filed is scheduled to go to trial in October. Video recordings of Trump’s statements could potentially be played at trial, if the lawsuit is not settled.
Thursday’s statement was made in private.
with PA
This text was adapted from its original in English.
