A federal judge in New York has ruled that former President Donald Trump and two of his adult children must testify into a probe of his business dealings.
Judge Arthur F. Engoron ruled on the matter Thursday that Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump all must provide depositions in the case.
New York AG Letitia James argued that all possess vital information about Trump’s business dealings and assets. She has already accused Trump of boosting valuations on financial statements when seeking lending.
Trump is no stranger to depositions – he answered questions for 4 1/2 hours last year in a case brought by men who claimed they were assaulted by security at Trump Tower.
His other adult son, Eric Trump, previously testified in the civil case and repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment rights – more than 500 times, according to a filing by James’ office.
Don Jr. and Eric ran the Trump Organization along with now-indicted executive Allen Weisselberg while Trump was serving as president.
The decision comes after a bombshell filing Monday that revealed Trump’s longtime accounting firm Mazars USA had quit and that 10 years of financial statements could not be relied on.
A federal judge has ruled that former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump all must provide depositions in a civil fraud case
While undoubtedly helpful for prosecutors, James has already been able to obtain a trove of information through subpoenas and interviews with other company officials.
She was able to obtain a wealth of tax and financial information from Trump’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars, following a case that went to the Supreme Court.
‘Today, justice prevailed,’ James said in a statement. ‘Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump have been ordered by the court to comply with our lawful investigation into Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. No one will be permitted to stand in the way of the pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful they are. No one is above the law,’ she added.
Under the order, the three must appear within 21 days. The judge also ordered Donald Trump Jr. to produce additional documents within two weeks.
Trump this week accused James of ‘vicious intimidation tactics’ against his longtime firm, after Mazars said it could no longer rely on a decade’s worth of financial statements it worked on for him and announced it was ending its relationship with the company.
Trump said they were ‘essentially forced to resign from a great long-term account by the prosecutorial misconduct.’
Trump in his statement goes on to provide dollar figures for cash and marketable securities, escrow, reserve deposits and other categories he says lead to a net worth of $5.8 billion.
Earlier Thursday, Trump lawyer Alina Habba used a hearing in the former president’s alleged fraud case to accuse District Attorney Letitia James of going after him ‘probably because he can win again in ’24.’
The Bedminster, New Jersey-based lawyer also took the opportunity to accuse Trump’s 2016 rival Hillary Clinton of ‘spying’ on his campaign.
Channeling Trump’s tone in his frequent online statements and his demands to investigate his investigators, she told James and another lawyer for the state AG’s office: ‘I want to know … are you going to go after Hillary Clinton for what she’s doing to my client?’
![Lawyers for New York State Attorney General Letitia James argued that the case required testimony by Trump and his children](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/17/20/54331833-10524795-image-a-9_1645130611474.jpg)
Lawyers for New York State Attorney General Letitia James argued that the case required testimony by Trump and his children
![Trump has repeatedly attacked the prosecution, which he has called a 'witch hunt'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/17/20/54331859-10524795-image-a-10_1645130616881.jpg)
Trump has repeatedly attacked the prosecution, which he has called a ‘witch hunt’
![Trump lawyer Alina Habba used a hearing to accuse Trump's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton of 'spying' on his campaign](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/17/20/54331323-10524795-image-a-14_1645130862560.jpg)
Trump lawyer Alina Habba used a hearing to accuse Trump’s 2016 rival Hillary Clinton of ‘spying’ on his campaign
![Ivanka Trump had an option to purchase a Park Avenue apartment leased to her by her father's company for $8.5 million, according to the court order seeking testimony filed by the AG's office. But the firm listed its value as high as $25 million in financial statements](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/17/20/53121939-10524795-Ivanka_Trump_had_an_option_to_purchase_a_Park_Avenue_apartment_l-a-16_1645131189424.jpg)
Ivanka Trump had an option to purchase a Park Avenue apartment leased to her by her father’s company for $8.5 million, according to the court order seeking testimony filed by the AG’s office. But the firm listed its value as high as $25 million in financial statements
![Ivanka had an option to purchase the Park Avenue apartment for $8.5 million, according to the court order seeking testimony filed by the AG's office, after leasing it on 'extraordinarily favorable terms'. Ivanka is seen in the apartment with two of her kids](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/17/20/53121937-10524795-Ivanka_had_an_option_to_purchase_the_Park_Avenue_apartment_for_8-a-18_1645131231612.jpg)
Ivanka had an option to purchase the Park Avenue apartment for $8.5 million, according to the court order seeking testimony filed by the AG’s office, after leasing it on ‘extraordinarily favorable terms’. Ivanka is seen in the apartment with two of her kids
‘That she spied at Trump Tower in your state? Are you going to look into her business dealings?’
The lawyer cast Trump as a victim of ‘viewpoint discrimination’ – and challenged James for her own public comments about Trump during her election, Law & Crime reported.
Judge Arthur Engoron repeatedly cut short her interruptions and efforts to steer the conversation toward Trump’s rivals. ‘The Clintons are not before me,’ he said.
James opened the door to the line of attack with some of her past statements about Trump during her own campaigns. She has called him an ‘illegitimate president’ and said ‘we need to find out where he is laundering his money,’ statements the Trump team has used to accuse her of misconduct.
Habba’s ‘spy’ comment was a reference to Special Counsel John Durham’s explosive recent court filing in his investigation of the origins of the Russia probe. Durham included ‘factual background’ information in a filing that has roused Republicans who claim it proves Trump’s ‘spy’ claim, although indicted Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann says it was intended to ‘inflame’ the media. He is charged with a single count of lying to the FBI.
![Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump, Don Jr., and Ivana must appear within 21 days](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/17/21/54331483-10524795-image-a-20_1645131647518.jpg)
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump, Don Jr., and Ivana must appear within 21 days
Habba is a Bedminster, NJ lawyer who has represented Trump in the Sumner Zervos defamation case and other matters.
Trump has always involved his children in his business – which he took over from his father, Fred Trump.
James’ office has brought forward information related to Ivanka Trump, who advised Trump in the White House, in her probe, although the former first daughter is not accused of any wrongdoing.
A court document filed last month says Ivanka was given the option to buy a luxury NYC apartment from the Trump Organization for a third of the value listed on company financial statements.
Ivanka had an option to purchase the Park Avenue apartment for $8.5 million, according to the court order seeking testimony filed by the AG’s office, after leasing it on ‘extraordinarily favorable terms’.
But her father on his Statement of Financial Condition over several years listed values of the apartment at between $20,820,000 and $25,000,000, according to the document.
‘Given Ivanka Trump’s involvement in these and other matters, her testimony plainly bears a reasonable relation to the matters under investigation by OAG and must be compelled,’ according to the January filing.
Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has taken over a criminal investigation into whether Trump violated any laws by deliberately misleading lenders.
Trump’s legal setback came on a day his nemesis Hillary Clinton attacked him at the New York Democratic Convention.
She said accusations her campaign spied on Donald Trump are a ‘conspiracy’ tied to his mounting legal issues.
‘We can’t get distracted, whether it’s by the latest culture war nonsense, or some new right wing lie on Fox or Facebook – by the way they’ve been coming after me again lately in case you might have noticed,’ she said.
‘It’s funny, the more trouble Trump gets into the wilder the charges and conspiracies about me seem to get,’ she added. ‘So now his accountants have fired him. And investigations draw closer to him. And on the right the noise machine gets turned up,’ she added.
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