By Associated Press
Trump has denied the allegations, contending that seeking the best valuations is a common practice in the real estate industry.
In May, James’ office said that it was nearing the end of an investigation against Trump, his company or both. The Republican’s deposition was one of the few remaining missing pieces.
The attorney general could decide to bring a lawsuit seeking financial penalties against Trump or his company, or even a ban on them being involved in certain types of businesses.
Two of Trump’s adult children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, gave depositions in recent days, two people familiar with the matter said. The people were not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.
It’s unclear whether Ivanka Trump or Donald Trump Jr. invoked the Fifth Amendment. Eric Trump, their brother, did so more than 500 times during a deposition in the same investigation in 2020, according to court papers.
People generally don’t have a constitutional right to avoid questions in a civil lawsuit, but Trump’s legal team fought James’ attempt to question him for months, arguing that the district attorney’s parallel investigation created a risk that Trump could face criminal charges. Lawyers in James’ office have assisted with that criminal investigation.
Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that James’ office had “the clear right” to question Trump and other principals in his company — though Trump also had a right to decline to answer questions because of the criminal case.
That criminal probe had appeared to be progressing toward a possible criminal indictment, but stalled after a new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, took office in January. A grand jury that had been hearing evidence disbanded. The top prosecutor who had been handling the probe resigned after Bragg raised questions internally about the viability of the case.
Bragg has said his investigation is continuing.
The district attorney’s investigation has already led to criminal charges against the Trump Organization and its longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, who are accused of tax fraud related to fringe benefits offered by the company.
Weisselberg and the company’s lawyers are scheduled to be in court Friday to argue that the case should be dismissed.
