Trump says he declined to answer deposition questions in Trump Organization probe
CBC
Former U.S. president Donald Trump said on Wednesday he refused to answer questions during an appearance before the New York state attorney general in a civil investigation into his family's business practices, citing his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Trump, his son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughter Ivanka Trump, had fought unsuccessfully to avoid appearing for testimony in New York State Attorney General Letitia James's probe into whether the Trump Organization inflated real estate values to obtain favourable loans and understated asset values to get tax breaks.
"I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution," Trump said in a statement issued roughly an hour after he arrived, via motorcade, at the attorney general's office in lower Manhattan.
The U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment protects against self-incrimination. Trump's decision not to answer questions still could carry consequences, however; should the investigation lead to a trial, jurors could take his silence into account. Politically, it also could give adversaries ammunition about whether Trump has something to hide as he mulls another run for the presidency in 2024.
James has said her investigation has uncovered significant evidence that the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate, gave banks and tax authorities misleading financial information to obtain benefits.
Trump did not leave the attorney general's office until about six hours after he arrived, suggesting he faced questions for much of the day.
Trump, a Republican, again denied wrongdoing and in his statement sought to portray the investigation by James, a Democrat, as part of a years-long vendetta against him by her and others, including the news media.
"I once asked, 'If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?'" Trump said in his statement. "Now I know the answer to that question."
Trump added, "When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice."
In the statement, Trump made disparaging comments about James and violent crime in New York state.
He also attempted to link the state attorney general's investigation to Monday's FBI search of his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. That search was related to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, which safeguards presidential records that belong to the public, and whether classified documents were kept at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, according to a person familiar with the matter.
A spokesperson for James declined to comment on the deposition. A lawyer for Trump did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump agreed in June to testify in the three-year investigation, but only after court decisions rejecting his argument that the probe was politically motivated, so he should not have to testify.
His lawyers also argued that Trump's words could be unfairly used against him in a related criminal probe led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in which James also is involved. Two top prosecutors in that case resigned in March, with one saying Bragg was skeptical of bringing charges against Trump. A Bragg spokesperson on Wednesday said that criminal probe continues.
The Thunder Bay International Airport is expanding its security screening area, adding a third screening line in the coming months.
Multiple Durham Region police officers diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) say the service is compromising their recovery by fighting their access to workplace mental health benefits.
Winter's far from over, but Ontario's already facing a road salt shortage that's forcing some cities to make adjustments or ration supplies.
A Toronto man is facing potential deportation to Cambodia after being sentenced last year on drug trafficking charges in the N.W.T.
After more than two years of fractured diplomatic relations, Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit India in the coming weeks as both countries look to diversify trading partners in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.
A city committee has voted to waive more than $3 million in development charges for a planned 24-storey tower slated to bring scores of affordable housing units to London's Old East Village.
Even for some Republicans who’ve been staunch supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, the move by the Department of Justice to launch a criminal investigation into the Federal Reserve and its chair Jerome Powell is a red line that should not be crossed.
The effects of a low pressure system tearing through Newfoundland and Labrador are being felt across the province on Monday.
A southwestern Nova Scotia community in mourning over the death of a 13-year-old killed in a dog attack gathered on Sunday to remember the boy who loved riding his bike and used to share his lunch money with other children.
A witness in a Moncton double murder trial testified Monday that the man accused of the crimes admitted to the killings when they were in prison together.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s first city budget includes an average residential property tax rate hike of nearly four per cent — beyond last year's rate of inflation — to help pay for its $7.7 billion budget.
The Tories are distancing themselves from a board member over social media comments he made after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot an American woman in Minneapolis.
A Saskatoon judge says a bus driver who mixed alcohol and pain killers while driving a charter bus with 52 children aboard posed an "outrageous" risk.