Latest legal blow to Donald Trump: US judge orders him to testify in fraud probe
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
In a civil probe into alleged fraud at Donald Trump's family business, a US judge ruled Thursday that the former president and his eldest children must give testimony under oath.The ruling is only the latest in a string of legal setbacks for the 75-year-old who is battling multiple cases that are likely to complicate his bid for another term in office in 2024.In January, she announced that her civil investigation had revealed that the Trump Organization fraudulently overvalued multiple assets to secure loans and then undervalued them to minimize taxes. The Trumps have repeatedly tried to shut down the investigation.Lawyers for the Trumps argued that the subpoenas in the civil case were an attempt by James to obtain evidence in connection with her involvement in a parallel criminal investigation into the Trump Organization.James, they said, was circumventing a New York law that grants immunity to witnesses who appear before grand juries in criminal cases. As part of his ruling, Engoron added that the Trumps may invoke their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves when questioned during the civil case.Following the ruling, Trump's lawyer blasted the investigation as "yet another politically motivated witch hunt," echoing one of the ex-president's favourite refrains."The court clearly had its mind made up and had no interest in engaging in impartial discourse on this critically important issue," attorney Alina Habba said in a statement.