Former President Trump appealed a New York judge's order for him and his two eldest children to testify as part of a civil investigation into his business practices on Monday.
Lawyers for Trump, Don Jr. and Ivanka filed papers for a review from state apellate court after Judge Arthur Engoron compelled them to testify in a Feb. 17 ruling. The ruling gave the Trumps 21 days to appear, and the appeal is likely to back up the fight over the former president's testimony for months.
The lawyers argue ordering the Trumps to testify violates their constitutional rights because anything Trump says in a civil deposition could be used against him in the criminal probe being overseen by the Manhattan district attorney´s office.
At a hearing prior to Engoron´s decision, Trump´s lawyers argued that having him sit for a civil deposition is an improper attempt to get around a state law barring prosecutors from calling someone to testify before a criminal grand jury without giving them immunity.
A federal judge has ruled that former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump all must provide depositions in a civil fraud case
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump, Don Jr., and Ivana must appear within 21 days
A lawyer for the attorney general´s office told Engoron that it wasn´t unusual to have civil and criminal investigations proceeding at the same time, and Engoron rejected a request from lawyers for the Trumps to pause the civil probe until the criminal matter is over.
Last summer, spurred by evidence uncovered in James´ civil investigation, the Manhattan district attorney´s office charged Weisselberg and the Trump Organization with tax fraud, alleging he collected more than $1.7 million in off-the-books compensation. Weisselberg and the company have pleaded not guilty. The future of the criminal probe was thrown into question last week when the two prosecutors leading it abruptly quit.
New York AG Letitia James argued that all possess vital information about Trump's business dealings and assets. She has already accused Trump of boosting valuations on financial statements when seeking lending.
Trump is no stranger to depositions – he answered questions for 4 1/2 hours last year in a case brought by men who claimed they were assaulted by security at Trump Tower.
His other adult son, Eric Trump, previously testified in the civil case and repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment rights – more than 500 times, according to a filing by James' office.
Don Jr. and Eric ran the Trump Organization along with now-indicted executive Allen Weisselberg while Trump was serving as president.
The decision comes after a bombshell filing Monday that revealed Trump's longtime accounting firm Mazars USA had quit and that 10 years of financial statements could not be relied on.
While undoubtedly helpful for prosecutors, James has already been able to obtain a
