Former US president Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in Latest York on April 12, 2023.
Kena Betancur | AFP | Getty Images
Donald Trump said he’s being deposed Thursday in Latest York City as a part of the state attorney general’s $250 million civil lawsuit alleging widespread fraud by the previous president and his company.
Trump announced on social media overnight that he had “just arrived in Manhattan for a deposition in front of” Latest York Attorney General Letitia James as a part of the sweeping lawsuit.
In one other post Thursday morning, Trump said he was “heading downtown” to be deposed. He accused James of leaking that the appointment was scheduled at 9:30 a.m. ET.
His trip marks the second time in lower than two weeks that he has traveled to the Empire State to reply to court actions against him. The ex-president faces multiple criminal and civil proceedings as he makes a 3rd bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump previously flew from his home state of Florida to Latest York to give up to authorities following his indictment in a separate criminal case centered on hush money payments made before the 2016 presidential election. The previous president pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in that case, which is being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump is “not only willing but in addition desirous to testify before the Attorney General today,” his attorney, Alina Habba, told CNBC in an announcement. “He stays resolute in his stance that he has nothing to hide, and he looks forward to educating the Attorney General concerning the immense success of his multi-billion dollar company.”
James’ office didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
James filed the civil fraud lawsuit last September against Trump, three of his adult children, the Trump Organization and others. The suit accuses Trump of repeatedly overstating the values of his assets in statements to banks, insurance firms and the IRS so as to obtain higher loan and tax terms.
Along with the hefty financial penalty, James desires to bar Trump’s firms from doing business in Latest York. She also desires to permanently stop Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump from serving as an officer of an organization within the state.
Last August, before James filed the fraud suit, Trump sat for a deposition with James’ office and invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination greater than 400 times.
Trump’s social media posts ahead of the most recent deposition railed against James, the primary Black woman to carry her title, as a “racist” and a “lowlife” who was biased against him.
