Days after his Mar-a-Lago estate was searched by the FBI, former President Donald Trump is expected to answer questions under oath as part of a civil investigation being conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump confirmed the testimony via a post on his Truth Social account, The Associated Press reported.
“My company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides,” Trump wrote, according to CNN.
Update 10:45 a.m. EDT Aug. 10: Trump said on his social network that he invoked the Fifth Amendment and did not answer questions under oath, the AP reported.
Trump said he “declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”
Original report: Trump has long tried to avoid being questioned and has called the investigation, which began in March 2019, a witch hunt, The New York Times reported.
The testimony will be given behind closed doors, CNN reported.
The New York case and the search of Trump’s Florida property on Monday are not related, the AP reported.
The FBI had reportedly been looking for documents that had been classified and were removed from the White House when Trump left office.
Trump called the search “an assault” that “could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries,” The New York Times reported.
It is unknown if Trump will answer questions or if he will use his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, CNN reported.
The civil investigation is looking at the Trump Organization and whether it inaccurately listed the value of its assets such as golf courses and skyscrapers to mislead leaders and tax collectors, the AP reported.
The attorney general’s office has already questioned two of Trump’s children — Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
Since it is a civil case, James can sue the former president, but cannot file criminal charges. However, the Manhattan district attorney’s office has been conducting a criminal investigation into allegations of fraud, the Times reported. The testimony given Wednesday could be used in that case.
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