Trump invokes Fifth Amendment rights in New York civil probe

Donald Trump has done something he himself said only guilty people do — he pled the Fifth Amendment. The former president invoked his constitutionally protected right against self-incrimination while being deposed by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump pleading the Fifth may seem odd to anyone who remembers what then-candidate Trump said about the Fifth Amendment on the campaign trail in 2016.

“The mob takes the Fifth,” Mr. Trump said. “If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”

In a written statement Wednesday, Trump said he had no choice but to plead the Fifth because he and those in his orbit had “become the targets of an unfounded politically motivated witch hunt.”

James is leading an investigation into the Trump Organization over accusations the company misled lenders and tax authorities about the value of some high-priced assets like golf courses and skyscrapers.

In filings with the court, James accused Trump of exaggerating the size of his New York penthouse, saying it was three times it’s actual size. A difference in value of about $200 million.

Answering questions in the deposition would have been legally risky, because anything Trump said could be used against him in a parallel criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. both recently testified in the case. It’s unclear if they pled the Fifth. When Eric Trump sat for a deposition on the same investigation in 2020, however, he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 500 times.

It’s been a tumultuous week for former President Trump. He appeared in New York for the deposition just days after the FBI conducted a raid on his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. The FBI was serving a warrant there as part of a separate federal probe.

All this while the 45th president of the United States considers a run at becoming the 47th.