Trump and two eldest children must testify in New York case, judge rules
Donald Trump and two of his children have been ordered by a New York judge to appear for a deposition within the next three weeks, as part of the billowing investigation over alleged fraud in the valuation of assets belonging to his family business.
The ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron to force Trump and his two eldest children – Donald Jr and Ivanka – to comply with subpoenas amounts to a sharp escalation of the legal perils that are rapidly tightening around the former president.
The family has been striving to fend off demands for documents, information and testimony from the New York state attorney general, Letitia James. She is investigating whether the Trump Organization used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of its assets to attract loans and reduce its tax burden.
Following a two-hour hearing on Thursday, Engoron delivered a blunt rebuttal to arguments put forward by Trump lawyers that the former president should not be subjected to questioning in the civil case because the information could be used against him in criminal proceedings that are running in parallel. The judge went so far as to say that had James not subpoenaed them, it would have been “a blatant dereliction of duty”.
Responding to the news, James said that it showed that “no one will be permitted to stand in the way of the pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful they are”.
Under the judge’s ruling, Trump must now testify within 21 days and hand over “documents and information” within 14 days. The development is the second severe blow for the former president in the space of a week.
On Monday, it was revealed that the longtime accounting firm for the Trump Organization, Mazars USA, had broken off ties with the family business, saying that it could no
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