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First on Fox – Former president Donald Trump is expected to sit for a deposition in the New York Attorney General’s civil investigation into the Trump family’s business practices, Fox News has learned.
Trump will be sitting down with attorneys for Letitia James’ office at an undisclosed location agreed by the parties and behind-closed-doors. It’s unclear at this time if the former president will be willing to answer all the questions that the lawyers pose him or if he could be asserting his Fifth Amendment right.
Moreover, the specific content of these questions is unknown.
Donald Trump is the last member of the family to be deposed. Ivanka Trump and Don Jr. were deposed earlier this month. All three depositions were expected to take place last month, but Trump’s lawyers had asked for a delay in light of the passing of Trump’s first wife and the mother of his 3 eldest children Ivana Trump on July 14. The depositions had been scheduled to take place the next day.
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This was yet another delay after a months-long battle in courts to stall and avoid the AG’s office efforts to interrogate them.
Trump is currently spending his summer days between his Bedminster golf estate and Trump Tower. Trump arrived back in New York City on Tuesday night.
A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The AG’s office did not confirm nor deny the information and declined to comment.
James’ office has been conducting a civil investigation into the Trump Organization to find out whether Trump and his company improperly inflated the value of assets on financial statements in order to obtain loans and tax benefits.
Those financial dealings that the NY AG believes could have been potentially fraudulent include properties such as Trump’s estate Seven Springs in Westchester, New York, 40 Wall Street, and his residence at Trump Tower in New York City.
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Last April, NY AG’s lawyer Kevin Wallace said in court that the office “would likely need to bring some kind of enforcement action in the near future.”
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the probe a “witch hunt”.
At the same time, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. So far, tax fraud charges have been brought against the company and its longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg, who are fighting the accusations at an upcoming trial.
Marta Dhanis is a reporter and field producer based in New York who focuses on criminal justice and the courts. Follow her on Twitter: @MartaDhanis