Thu, August 4, 2022

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ivanka-don-jr-finally-sit-101847650.html

Ivanka and Don Jr finally sit for depositions in New York’s Trump Organisation probe, report says

Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr have reportedly deposed in the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the Trump Organisation’s finances.

The two children of former president Donald Trump were subpoenaed along with their father earlier this year after they attempted to fight it in court.

While Mr Trump Jr deposed last Thursday, his sister’s deposition took place on Wednesday, CNN reported, citing sources. Their deposition was initially scheduled for 15 July, but was postponed after their mother Ivana Trump – the former president’s first wife – died.

According to the report, Mr Trump Jr did not assert his fifth amendment rights and responded to questions. The details of the questions posed to him and his answers have not yet been made public.

The former president is expected to testify later this month.

New York attorney general Letitia James has alleged that the former president’s company, the Trump Organisation, inflated the values of skyscrapers, golf courses and other holdings to secure loans, insurance and other benefits.

She has argued that “fraudulent or misleading” business practices dominated the functioning of the company for years, and that it must be investigated to find those responsible, reported The New York Times.

While Mr Trump took on a legal battle to avoid the interview, a judge ordered him to participate in the questioning.

The former president has previously denied the allegations, arguing that it is common in the real estate industry to seek the best valuations, while the Republicans dismissed the probe as part of a politically-motivated “witch hunt” by Democrats such as Ms James.

The depositions come at a time when the former president is facing heightened legal scrutiny for his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, with a House committee probing his conduct in the wake of the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.