Former President Donald Trump is facing a deposition from New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday in relation to a civil investigation into his family’s business practices.
Court documents from James’ office released earlier this year claimed that the Trump Organization has overstated the value of land donations in New York and California, misreported the size of Trump’s penthouse in Manhattan, and otherwise “used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain a host of economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions.”
A statement from President Trump, however, argued that the investigation is politically motivated and said that he chose to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in accordance with advice from his lawyers.
“What Letitia James has tried to do the last three years is a disgrace to the legal system, an affront to New York State taxpayers, and a violation of the solemn rights and protections afforded by the United States Constitution,” Trump remarked on Wednesday, per Fox News. “I did nothing wrong, which is why, after five years of looking, the Federal, State and local governments, together with the Fake News Media, have found nothing.”
The deposition occurred two days after agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago as part of a criminal investigation into national security information that the former commander-in-chief allegedly mishandled.
“These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said in another statement. “After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”
The FBI agents reportedly spent an entire day at the property in plainclothes before executing the raid, while the Secret Service detail charged with protecting Trump was notified of the raid shortly before it occurred. The agents took multiple boxes of documents after looking into each office and safe at the residence.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that President Joe Biden has been “unequivocal” on his belief in the rule of law and refused to comment on “any ongoing investigations from here.” She added that the White House “learned just like the American public did, yesterday,” adding that “we did not have advanced notice of this activity.”
Many Republicans have argued that Hunter Biden, whose alleged foreign business ties could pose a national security risk, has not yet been held accountable under the law due to his status as the son of President Joe Biden.
According to a recent poll from the Trafalgar Group and Convention of States Action, more than 79% of Americans believe that the United States has a two-tiered justice system — “one set of laws for politicians” and “one set of laws for everyday Americans.” Strong majorities of both parties, as well as independents, concurred with the question.
“What we’re seeing reflected strongly in these numbers is the sentiment that ‘There is no equal justice in America’ has become an almost universally-held opinion,” Convention of States President Mark Meckler said in response to the survey. “Until public servants are once again held accountable for their misdeeds, the distrust of and disdain for government officials will continue to grow in a dangerous manner. Perhaps early Americans had the right idea when they publicly tarred and feathered officials who abused their positions. Fear of getting caught and being held accountable is a necessary component for a successful system of public service.”