The former president has declined to answer the questions because he believes he and his family are the “objects of a political witch hunt”.
Former US President Donald Trump has declined to answer questions from the New York Attorney General investigating alleged fraud at his family business. In a statement released by his office, the Republican leader noted, “I declined to answer the questions on the basis of the rights and privileges granted to all citizens by the United States Constitution.” And, he adds, citing his continued complaint that he is the subject of political persecution, caused, among other things, by his apparent desire to run in the next presidential election: “If your family, your business and all the people around you You have become the target of an unfounded and politically motivated witch hunt supported by fake lawyers, prosecutors and media, you have no choice.”
The expectation of the statement of the former president before the prosecutor’s office will be the big issue of the day in the media next Wednesday. The tycoon would appear as a witness in a civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s business practices, suspected of altering the value of some of its many properties. Apparently, in order to obtain juicy loans, the company excessively increased the value of several assets (besides the New York Tower, it manages hotels, resorts and golf courses, among others) and lowered it when it was necessary to obtain tax exemptions.
The family business is also under investigation for alleged insurance fraud and cheating. The process is not new, but it has been accelerated in the wake of Trump’s departure from the White House and losing presidential immunity. Both he and his children Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump have filed all kinds of objections to delay the statements as much as possible. But it did them nothing. The two relatives have already testified.
Remarkably, the president announced on his social network on Tuesday evening that he had moved from his Florida home to Trump Tower in New York to attend the meeting with prosecutor Laetitia James. “Tonight in New York. Tomorrow, watch the racist New York Attorney General continue the greatest witch hunt in American history! My big company, and myself, are under attack from all sides. Banana Republic!” Trump wrote. However, sources close to him suggested that, as has happened, the tycoon could refuse to testify at the last minute so as not to incriminate himself or his children.
The botched appearance comes just two days after the FBI searched the former Republican president’s Florida mansion on Monday, apparently searching for classified documents from his tenure that he allegedly took when he left office in January 2021. All that sort of reserved material is legally held at the National Archives and Records Administration. The officers took 12 boxes of documents from the home.
The record has sparked criticism from Republican lawmakers and the ire of staunch supporters of the former president, who have decided to fuel it with a message suggesting the FBI may have “planted” evidence against him during the inspection. “The FBI and the other federal government agents did not allow anyone, not even my lawyers, to come near the areas searched and investigated during the Mar-a-Lago raid,” Trump said. “They asked everyone to leave the place, they wanted to be alone, with no witnesses to see what they did, took or, which I hope didn’t happen, ‘placed’,” he insinuated with his usual verbal excess.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
