Faces deposition in New York AG James fraud trial
Former US President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on April 12, 2023.
Kena Betancur | AFP | Getty Images
donald trump said he was filed Thursday in New York as part of the state’s attorney general $250 million civil suit alleging widespread fraud by the former president and his company.
Trump announced on social media overnight that he had just “arrived in Manhattan for a deposition before” New York Attorney General Letitia James in the sprawling trial.
In another message Thursday morning, Trump said he was “heading downtown” to be dropped off. He accused James of disclosing that the date was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET.
Trump’s trip marks the second time in less than two weeks that he has visited the Empire State to respond to legal actions against him. The ex-president faces multiple criminal and civil lawsuits as he makes a third bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump had previously flown from his home state of Florida to New York to surrender to authorities following his indictment in a separate criminal case centered on silent payments made before the 2016 presidential election. The former president pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the case, which is being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Neither James’s office nor Trump’s attorneys immediately responded to requests for comment on the deposition.
James filed a civil fraud lawsuit last September against Trump, three of his adult children, the Trump Organization and others. The lawsuit accuses Trump of repeatedly overstating the value of his assets in reporting to banks, insurance companies and the IRS in order to obtain better loan and tax terms.
In addition to the heavy financial penalty, James wants to ban Trump companies from doing business in New York. She also wants to permanently bar Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump from serving as a state enterprise executive.
Last August, before James filed the fraud complaint, Trump sat down for a deposition at James’ office and invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. more than 400 times.
Trump’s social media posts ahead of the latest deposition denounced James, the first black woman to hold the title, as a “racist” and “lowlife” who was prejudiced against him.
