Donald Trump must testify under oath in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ witch hunt probe into the former president’s business practices.
In February, state Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that former President Trump and his two children, Ivanka and Don Jr., must testify in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into Trump’s business practices.
President Trump’s lawyers appealed the ruling.
A state appeals court on Thursday upheld Manhattan Judge Engoron’s February ruling.
President Trump could still appeal this ruling to New York’s Court of Appeals.
The Associated Press reported:
Former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.
A four-judge panel in the appellate division of the state’s trial court upheld Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 17 ruling enforcing subpoenas for Trump and his two eldest children to give deposition testimony in Attorney General Letitia James’ probe.
Trump had appealed, seeking to overturn the ruling. His lawyers argued that ordering the Trumps to testify violated their constitutional rights because their answers could be used in a parallel criminal investigation.
“The existence of a criminal investigation does not preclude civil discovery of related facts, at which a party may exercise the privilege against self-incrimination,” the four-judge panel wrote, citing the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.